Heavy pre-monsoon rain spells improve aquatic life of Rawal Dam

Wraa Noor/APP

Islamabad: The recent pre-monsoon rain spells that lashed various parts of the country and dropped mercury drastically after scorching heatwaves would help to improve the aquatic life of Rawal Dam as the reservoir is filled near to its maximum capacity.

Rawal lake, which supplies drinking water to the city of Rawalpindi, is home of various fish species, turtles and aquaculture that created a unique ecosystem threatened by man-made pollution in the reservoir, said an official of the Fisheries Department of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).

The water in the Rawal Dam was collected through rainwater coming from the Margalla hills catchments which ultimately improves the growth of aquatic life. The rainwater along with dust and sludge brings various nutrients, micro plant species and organisms that help the aquaculture in the reservoir improve the quality of water which in turn helps synthesize healthy habitat for marine life, a Fisheries Department official informed.

The rainwater in Rawal Dam brings nutrients and soil enriched with essential minerals that help the aquaculture in the reservoir improve the quality of water and improve aquatic growth as well.

He said the opening of spillways of the Dam was also another challenge that poses risk to the fish that faced damage during the process. The dam authorities are advised to avoid abrupt aperture of spillways that cause big fish to fall down rendering loss of precious species.

The people used to catch the falling out fish by physically venturing the nto running water of the spillways which directly jeopardized those individuals’ lives. However, in order to tackle this nuisance, the fisheries department has installed nets at a distance of 200-300 feet from the spillways to avoid drifting out of fish.

The Executive Engineer (XEN) of Rawal Dam Amir Mumtaz said that the total storage capacity of the reservoir was 1752 which was at the moment filled up till 1745.5 feet with an extra cushion of 7.5 feet storage capacity available.

A sudden water rise in the reservoir causes fish mortality, and continuous thunderstorms and heavy rainfall could disturb water species synthesis.

He said the rainwater during the monsoon downpour used to fill the reservoir to its maximum capacity whereas the rains have stopped, and this water would start receding in the coming days.

When contacted by Deputy Director Fisheries (DDF) Rawalpindi, Mir Latif, in his expert opinion, said rains used to bring nutrients and soil enriched with essential minerals that prove to be supportive for aquatic growth especially fish which are under threat during drought season.

He said sudden water rise in the reservoir causes fish mortality with immediate water bed turnover. Latif said, “The rainwater accumulated in the dam turns greenish due to micro-plants brought with the deluge from the catchments and that gives healthy habitat for the growth of fish”.

The water settles in the dam within 3-4 weeks at the same time as the aquatic life develops. However, if the thunderstorm and heavy rainfall persist then it could disturb water species synthesis. “It develops instantly in favorable conditions”, he added.

The direct flow of household or sewage waste is majorly causing water pollution and jeopardizing the aqua life: DDF

While commenting on the water pollution jeopardizing the aqua life, the deputy director said the direct flow of household or sewage waste of Lakhwalvillage, Bani Gala residential area and Murree Brewery are the major polluters. The small-scale drainage of the waste is not harmful while the large scale can prove to be fatal.

A water treatment plant was proposed to be installed near the residential areas for purification of the contaminated water which was dropped due to financial issues. Later, soaking pits were advised to be built by the area residents besides their houses which were constructed in the beginning by the residents of Bani Gala.

Mir Latif said the new Bani Gala residents were not developing the pits and were dumping their sewage waste in the dam which was causing harmful impacts on the water table and water species.

Monsoon rain spells are likely to improve water levels at major dams: FFC chief

According to the Met Office, the federal capital received a rainfall of 69 millimeters which was one of the highest recorded in the past 24 hours in various parts of the country.

Meanwhile, the fresh monsoon rains are likely to increase the water level of major reservoirs so the Chairman Federal Flood Commission (FFC) has advised all the dam operating authorities to exercise extra vigilance of the reservoirs’ operation.

Talking to the state-run Television, FFC Chairman Ahmed Kamal said that the overall water storage capacity at major reservoirs of the country had reached its lowest points while “good monsoon showers” are expected to improve the situation.  He also asked the district administrations to monitor the situation of their respective areas and emphasized public awareness campaigns about natural calamities.

The Flood commission department has asked the Met Office to ensure a timely weather forecast that would help in managing the flood situation.

The Chairman urged people living in low-lying areas to remain alert and immediately report any kind of emergency. He said that the flood commission department had asked the Met Office to ensure a timely weather forecast, adding that a timely and correct flood forecast would certainly help in managing the flood situation.

The national and provincial agencies besides the provincial disaster management authority, representatives of the Armed Forces, National Highway Authority, FFC, and WAPDA were apprised about the state of preparedness and measures to be taken to deal with monsoon challenges. Ahmed Kamal has also asked all city administrations to speed up their efforts to clear nullahs, adding that they should utilize their funds timely. The nullahs are cleaned each year but because of encroachments, some portions cannot be cleaned; thus, they are choked during heavy downpours, he added.