STAFF REPORT IBD: WAPDA has prepared a report Hydro Potential in Pakistan which is quite illuminating about the potential and its utilization so far saying out of 73 million acres cultivable land 56 million acres is irrigated while 20 million acres of rain fed area can be irrigated if the full potential is exploited.
Pakistan had a storage capacity of 15.74 million acre feet in 1976 which now has been reduced to 12.10 MAF in 2010 due to excessive sediment inflows. The three reservoirs (Tarbela, Mangala, Chashma) are expected to lose 6.27 MAF of their capacity by 2025 i.e. equal to one mega storage dam. As such only Bhasha Dam appears to be the only hope in the distant future as Kalabagh Dam is no longer in the picture being buried for the moment.
As far as power generation is concerned the total potential of Indus River is 38608 MW and of its tributaries 5726 MW totaling 44334 MW while the power generation is at present hardly 13 percent of total potential.
The fate of Bunji dam rests with the NOC from India being located in a so-called disputed area and of Akhori dam with the linkage with Kalabagh dam which would not mature in the near future.