Construction of Mangla Dam – 1961 to 1967

A rare documentary highlighting the construction of Mangla Dam between years 1961 and 1967; the Dam is located on Jhelum River in the Mirpur District of Azad Kashmir and is the 9th largest Dam in the world. The project was designed and supervised by Binnie & Partners of London (the team led by partner Geoffrey Binnie), and it was built by Mangla Dam Contractors, a consortium of 8 U.S. construction firms, sponsored by Guy F. Atkinson Company of South San Francisco.

Background: India gained rights to the waters of Ravi, Sutlej and Beas Rivers and Pakistan received the rights to develop the Jhelum, Chenab and Indus river basins according to Indus Waters Treaty in 1960. Mangla Dam was an essential project since before that widespread agriculture land of Pakistan was all watered by unregulated flow of river Indus and its major tributaries.

As a consequence of partition of the Indo-Pakistan Sub-Continent in 1947, India and Pakistan became two independent sovereign states. The Irrigation System which existed at the time of partition in 1947 was divided between the two countries without any regards to the irrigation boundaries resulting in an international water dispute which was resolved by signing of the Indus Water Treaty in 1960 under the aegis of World Bank. The Treaty assigned three Eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas and Sutlej) to India and three Western rivers (Indus, Jhelum & Chenab) to Pakistan. It also provided construction of replacement works called Indus Basin Project (IBP) to compensate for perpetual loss of Eastern River’s water. The works proposed under the Treaty included two multipurpose dams from one of which is Mangla Dam on Jhelum River having the provision of Power Generation.

Mangla Dam Project was actually conceived in 1950’s as a multipurpose project to be constructed at a place called Mangla on river Jhelum located about 30 km upstream of Jhelum city. The initial investigation & its feasibility studies were completed in 1958. Later on the project was included in the Indus Basin Project. The construction of Mangla Dam was started in 1962 and completed in 1967.

Creation of dam investigation circle by G.O.P. for investigation & Feasibility Studies in 1952.

Project Planning Report completed by Consultant in 1958.

Included in Indus Basin Project after signature of Indus Basin Treaty

Award of Contract:  January 20, 1962

Construction         :  1962 – 1967

First Impounding:   February 21, 1967

Some new developments about Mangla Dam: 1. The Dam wall has been raised by 30 feet which has resulted in regaining the lost 25 to 30 % lost water storage capacity, normal phenomena due to silting. 2. Because of this Mangla Dam Raising Project, now Mangla Reservoir has become The Largest water reservoir of Pakistan! Even larger than that of Tarbela Dam! 3. Hats off to the original designers, contractors of Mangla Dam, as No major alterations were required to be undertaken in the Inlets of tunnels for Power House, nor in the Gates of Spill Way, the two most important and sensitive installations !! 4. The Raised Mangla Dam will not only store more water for irrigation, will also contribute towards generating cheaper hydel electricity!! 5. The originally installed Hitachi Turbines (10) capable of producing 1000 MW of electricity are now being replaced by new ones ,obviously in phases, which will eventually add more than 300 MWs in the generating capacity. More to come…………