The Rundown

Have you ever thought where Peshawar gets a huge portion of electricity? One only has to look at Warsak Dam, one of the most beautiful works of engineering that over the past 60 years has consistently been supplying houses and farms.

Where River Meets Resolve

The Kabul River is broadened in a glittering lake, to the north of Peshawar, which is supported by the great Warsak Dam. It is also one of the first large-scale hydro projects in Pakistan and frankly speaking it is quite impressive to look at it in real life.

 It is not only a dam about electricity. It sustains irrigation, energy and even tourism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is also one of the popular weekend getaways by families who wish to leave the noise of the city.

Finding Your Way There

The Warsak Dam is approximately 20 kilometers northwest of Peshawar City in Khyber District. It's built right on the Kabul River, where the landscape opens up into rolling hills and green valleys.

Getting there is simple. Just hop on Warsak Road from Peshawar Cantt, and you'll reach it in 30 to 40 minutes. The drive itself is quite pleasant, especially during cooler months. The area enjoys moderate summers and cool winters. Perfect weather for short trips and picnics with friends or family.

A Story of Friendship and Vision

Let's go back to 1951. Pakistan was young, and we needed infrastructure badly. That's when the Warsak Multipurpose Project kicked off.

Here's what makes it special: Canada stepped in to help. This dream became a reality under the Colombo Plan through the assistance of Canadian engineers and funds. The process of construction was completed in 1960 and it symbolized the cooperation between countries (Fortier, 2021). 

The original dam is 76 meters high and has a reservoir capacity of approximately 41 million cubic meters. WAPDA engineers designed it to do double duty, generate power and support irrigation.

Since then, we've kept upgrading. Major refurbishment happened in 2012. Right now, the Warsak Rehabilitation Project is working to restore the dam to full capacity by 2024 and beyond.

The Technical Side Made Simple

Warsak is a concrete gravity dam, basically, it uses its own weight to hold back water. Smart, right?

The dam originally had an installed capacity of 240 MW through six turbines. With planned upgrades, we're looking at 300 MW or more. That electricity powers Peshawar, Mardan, Charsadda, and Nowshera. In the meantime, the reservoir is the source of irrigation canals that continue to irrigate thousands of acres of agricultural land.