Work in full swing to plug crater at Tarbela project site

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>HARIPUR: The civil work, meant to plug the crater caused by the collapse of a weak rock mass in the intake pit area of the Tarbela Dam 5th Extension Hydropower Project (T-5), is in full swing.</p> <p>Engineers and project workers are busy round the clock to ensure the project is commissioned according to schedule, according to an official source at the project site.</p> <p>On Monday morning, a weak <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2043429">rock mass collapsed</a> during excavation of the 2nd Bench Connecting Tunnel, causing water from the intake pit to enter the tunnel and the powerhouse area of the T-5 project, said an official handout.</p> <p>It added that all workers engaged in routine activities were immediately evacuated safely.</p> <p>Official sources and Haripur district administration said water from the intake pit had been completely drained; no further water was entering the downstream work sites, and dewatering of the under-construction powerhouse had started.</p> <p>They said the rock mass collapse caused no damage to the main tunnel, the under-construction powerhouse, the tailrace culvert or the switchyard.</p> <blockquote class="blockquote-level-1"> <p>Likely to be completed within a week</p> </blockquote> <p>A source at the project site said that following the immediate dewatering of the intake pit, the consultants, contractors and Wapda team initially assessed the incident before starting the concrete work to plug the hole, which continued until this report was filed.</p> <p>“The project staff has shifted its focus from routine work to the incident site and is busy 24/7 plugging the hole,” he said.</p> <p>The source said dewatering of the under-construction powerhouse was under way using heavy-duty pumping machines.</p> <p>He said completion of the civil work to fill the hole with concrete and dewatering of the powerhouse were likely within a week, facilitating the project staff’s return to work.</p> <p>“Reports are being compiled every six hours for submission to stakeholders by teams from the seismology and geology departments, contractors, consultants and Wapda officials,” he said.</p> <p>The source said the initial incident report had already been submitted to the Wapda chairman and the Ministry of Water Resources.</p> <p>He added that the final report assessing the causes and losses was likely to be submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Water Resources and other stakeholders in the next few days.</p> <p>The source said geologists from Wapda and the contractors, who had compiled the initial assessment report, denied any disruption or damage to the tunnel before or after the incident.</p> <p>He added that the plug, which would be used to divert water from the intake pit to the tunnel, was also 100 pc intact.</p> <p>“Only a weak rock mass situated some distance behind the plug somehow got damaged, but there was no human error or engineering flaw involved,” he claimed.</p> <p>This correspondent WhatsApped questions to general manager of T-5 project Umair Manan about the timeline for completion of civil work, dewatering of the under-construction powerhouse and the detailed assessment report.</p> <p>He responded with a brief statement: “The time is too soon to answer your queries. Hope for the best from Allah Almighty, Ameen.”</p> <p>When contacted, general secretary of the Awami Labour Union at the Tarbela Extension Projects 4 and 5 Aslam Adil said work to fill the hole in the intake pit and dewater the powerhouse continued day and night without interruption.</p> <p>He said the majority of the 3,000 workers engaged in the T-5 project had been asked to stay home until further notice.</p> <p>“Currently, the contractors have called only dumper and crane operators to work,” he said.</p> <p><em>Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2026</em></p> This development from dawn.com highlights ongoing changes in the sector.