Tarbela Dam T5 project halted after water floods tunnel works in Haripur; WAPDA says no one hurt

Update, Monday 9 November, evening: The Haripur deputy commissioner has ordered a high-level inquiry into why the protective bund failed, including whether a structural weakness or a technical fault was to blame, and says the next steps on the project will be decided once the inquiry report is in, The Express Tribune reported. The paper also notes that T5's civil works were awarded to Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina) in May 2021 for $354.6 million, and that the 1,530 MW is planned as three 510 MW units against an approved project cost of $807 million. WAPDA has still not said how long work will stay suspended.

Work on the Tarbela Fifth Extension Hydropower Project (T5) in Haripur has been suspended after water from Tarbela Dam's reservoir surged into the under-construction tunnel and powerhouse area on Monday, 9 November. All workers were evacuated and no one was hurt, according to WAPDA and the Haripur district administration.

Dawn first reported the incident from Swabi, saying the protective bund of the under-construction Tunnel 5 works had collapsed, an emergency was declared and workers were told to move to safe ground.

What WAPDA says happened

WAPDA's account, carried by Pakistan Observer on Monday afternoon, differs from early reports of a tunnel collapse:

• A weak rock mass gave way while the second bench of the Connecting Tunnel was being excavated.
• Water from the Intake Pit then flowed into the tunnel and the under-construction powerhouse area.
• The Intake Pit has since been fully drained, no more water is entering the downstream work areas, and dewatering of the powerhouse has started.
• WAPDA says there is no damage to the main tunnel, the under-construction powerhouse, the tailrace culvert or the switchyard, and calls reports that the T5 tunnel collapsed "incorrect".
• Senior WAPDA officials, the project engineer and the contractor are assessing what it means for the project.

What the district administration says

Haripur Deputy Commissioner Waseem Ahmed visited the site and confirmed the breach, Minute Mirror and 24NewsHD reported. He said Pakistani and foreign workers were moved to safety, one Pakistani worker was swept away by the water but rescued by emergency teams, and work has been suspended for an indefinite period while the cause is investigated.

Why T5 matters

T5 is one of the biggest power projects under construction in Pakistan:

Profit reported in June that costs rose because of inflation, extra civil works, the rehabilitation and replacement of Tunnel 5 gates, and interest during construction. This is also not the first stoppage: Minute Mirror notes that work was halted in August 2025 when the reservoir rose and water flooded the site.

What it means for you

As of Monday afternoon, neither WAPDA nor the district administration reported any effect on Tarbela's existing power units or on irrigation releases; the incident is confined to the construction site of the new extension. The bigger question is the timetable. Any long stoppage puts the July 2027 target at risk, and 1,530 MW of cheap hydropower is exactly what Pakistan needs to bring down the average cost of electricity in your bill. You can see how the per-unit rate drives your bill with our electricity bill calculator.

We will update this story when WAPDA says how long the work will stay suspended and what caused the rock failure.