Namal lake
Encyclopedia
Namal Lake is located in one corner of the Namal valley in Mianwali
, Punjab
, Pakistan
. It was formed following the construction of Namal Dam in 1913. Namal Dam is situated some 32 km from Mianwali city. The lake has a surface area of 5.5 km². There are mountain
s on its western and southern sides. On the other two sides are agricultural
areas.
and drinking water, built a dam on this namallake and irrigated lands up to Mianwali city
. But with the passage of time and construction of Thal Canal and installation of tubewells, its utility of water squeezed up to some limit.
The gates of the dam are repaired by the irrigation department regularly but without enthusiasm. The hill torrents and rains fill the Namal Lake round the year. Due to a drought-like situation in the country, this lake dried up last year, which is the first incident of its kind during the last 100 years. Presently, its condition is very bad.
Mianwali
Mianwali is the capital city of Mianwali District and situated in the north-west of Punjab province, Pakistan. The city is located on the eastern bank of the Indus River...
, Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. It was formed following the construction of Namal Dam in 1913. Namal Dam is situated some 32 km from Mianwali city. The lake has a surface area of 5.5 km². There are mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
s on its western and southern sides. On the other two sides are agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
areas.
History
In 1913, British engineers, to meet the scarcity of irrigationIrrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
and drinking water, built a dam on this namallake and irrigated lands up to Mianwali city
Mianwali
Mianwali is the capital city of Mianwali District and situated in the north-west of Punjab province, Pakistan. The city is located on the eastern bank of the Indus River...
. But with the passage of time and construction of Thal Canal and installation of tubewells, its utility of water squeezed up to some limit.
The gates of the dam are repaired by the irrigation department regularly but without enthusiasm. The hill torrents and rains fill the Namal Lake round the year. Due to a drought-like situation in the country, this lake dried up last year, which is the first incident of its kind during the last 100 years. Presently, its condition is very bad.