He said that all the dams in the vicinity of Quetta are safe, water is being discharged through spillways due to the filling of some dams which are not in any danger.

No person shall be allowed to encroach on the drains of the Irrigation Department, legal action would be taken against those involved in the encroachment, he said.

He expressed these views while discussing on the occasion of inspection of dams located in the vicinity of Spain Kariz, Kuch Dam, Sira Ghargai and Quetta on the special instructions of Chief Secretary Balochistan and Secretary Irrigation.

On this occasion, Superintending Engineering Quetta Circle Qurban Jatoi, Executive Engineer Irrigation Quetta Division Engineer Nadeem Ahmed Dehwar, SDO Mohsin Mirza, SDO Munwar Khan and  SDO Khurshid Ahmed Bangulzai were also with him.

Executive Engineer Irrigation Quetta Division Engineer Nadeem Ahmad Dehwar gave a detailed briefing to the Chief Engineer about dams.

He said that in around 50 dams of the Irrigation Department in the vicinity of Quetta city, some of them have been filled due to recent rains from which water is being discharged through spillways.

He said that in August 2022, due to heavy rains and flooded railways, there was more water in Spain Kariz. The spillway of the dam was designed in 1945, 8,000 cusecs of water could be discharged from it, but the spillway was damaged due to the discharge of 13,000 cusecs of water.

After which the construction of the spillway is going on rapidly under the supervision of ADB with the support of National Disaster Risk Management Fund, he said.

He said   in the briefing that however, the dam was completely safe,  the water storage capacity of the Spin-kariz Dam is 3,500 acre feet.

At present, 2 thousand acre feet of water has been stored in the dam, similarly, some dams have the capacity to store 650 acre feet of water, which is full when the dam is full, while Sira Ghargai Dam has the capacity to store 450 acre feet of water, this dam is also full, he said.

He said that after which water was being discharged from Kuch Dam and Sira Ghargai Dam through spillways.

Speaking on this occasion, Engineer Bashiruddin Tareen said that the engineers of the Irrigation Department were personally monitoring the dams being constructed in Quetta and other areas of the province.

There is no room for any kind of lapse in the construction of dams, he said.

He said that after the recent rains, the water in the dams in the vicinity of Quetta city has increased, but there is no risk of any dams breaking.

Some miscreants want to spread fear and panic among the people by spreading false and fabricated rumours, he said.

He said that people should not listen to false rumours, all the dams are safe, Alhamdulillah and the engineers of the department were continuously monitoring the dams round the clock.

He appreciated efforts of Executive Engineer Irrigation Quetta Division Nadeem Ahmad Dehwar and their teams for their excellent performance and directed to ensure continuous monitoring of dams.

He ordered the staff to take legal action against the encroachers of the irrigation canals in order to avoid any possible loss of life and property.

Engineer Bashiruddin Tareen said that some dams and Sira Ghargai Dam were being filled with water, so water was being discharged through spillways, but the dams were completely safe, people should not be afraid of water being discharged through spillways.

He said that the Hanna Flood Irrigation Scheme was completed in December 2023, after which the flood water coming in Hanna was diverted to Hanna Lake in a better way.

Due to which the water level in Hanna Lake is rising, which will not only help in the promotion of tourism but also provide employment opportunities to the people of the area, he said.

He said that  once again boating to be started in the lake and the tourists would enjoy the boating.-