Construction work on the Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project has been suspended indefinitely after a protective bund breached on Monday, allowing a large volume of water to enter Tunnel Five.
The incident prompted authorities to evacuate Pakistani and foreign workers from the site. Emergency teams also rescued a Pakistani worker who was swept away by the incoming water.
Haripur Deputy Commissioner Waseem Ahmed visited the project site after the incident and confirmed that flooding had occurred following the breach.
He said all workers had been safely evacuated and no casualties had been reported. The district administration has ordered an investigation to establish the cause of the incident.
A high-level inquiry will examine the circumstances behind the protective bund’s failure, including whether a structural weakness or technical fault contributed to the breach.
Officials said a decision on resuming construction would be taken after the inquiry report is completed.
The affected construction is part of the Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project, a major Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) initiative aimed at increasing electricity generation from Tarbela Dam.
The project is designed to add 1,530 megawatts of electricity generation capacity through three units of 510MW each. Upon completion, it will increase the dam’s installed capacity from 4,888MW to 6,418MW.
The project has an approved cost of $807 million. The World Bank is providing $390 million in financing, while the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is contributing another $300 million.
WAPDA awarded a $354.6 million contract for civil works to China’s Power Construction Corporation in May 2021.
Initially scheduled for completion within five years, the project has experienced repeated delays, pushing its expected completion date to September 2027.
One of the previously identified obstacles was difficulty obtaining approval from the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) to close Tunnel Five, which was required for construction activities.
The project also experienced a temporary suspension in August 2025 when rising reservoir levels and increased water inflows caused flooding at the construction site.
