Mangla dam is located in Mirpur Azad Kashmir. Major source of
water for Mangla dam is Jehlum River which is originated from Kashmir. Dam was
built during 1961 to 1967 in the government of Ayub khan field Marshal. The
project of dame is supervised by the Binnie & Partners from London. General
Ayub took funding from World Bank recently known as IMF. It is the 16th largest
dam in the world and 3rd largest dam of Pakistan.
Capacity and Structure:
The main dame consists of four embankment (parts of dam) two spill
ways and 5 tunnels for energy generation. The dam has capacity to produce 1000
M/V electricity in one year. The length of the dam is 3100 meters long equal to
3.1 Km. The height of the dam from the bottom is 138 meters which stores the 5,880,000
acre feet water in it which is now a day’s declined due to filling soil came
from the mountain. There are 10 units of producing power each carries equal
capacity of 100 M/V now Pakistani government is planning to increase the
capacity of water storage.
Things to Do in Mangla Dam:
Mangla dam is not that much famous as a picnic spot but there are
several things to do there such as fishing, hunting birds, boating, and
paragliding.
Fishing:
Every place have water must engaged with fishing likewise Mangla
dame is also the famous fishes in dam are Maashiar, Silver, Raho and Maleeh.
The average weight of these species is 10 to 15 Kg. You have to take permission
from the fisheries department which is easily available. For catching big
fishes you need proper kit and expertise.
Hunting:
Although the hunting activity is not that much in Mangla dam but
you can do it by hiring local guide and fisher man who have boats. The major
hunting is birds of, common eider, pig, fox, snake, and deer. There is special
permission needed for hunting but if you are hunting birds with air than you
may hunt them without permission under the open area not in restricted area.
Boating:
There are several types of boats like, Paddal boat, motor boat,
motorcycle boat, and simple boat you can enjoy boating along with your family
and single boat. Every year the Pakistan Navy held a water boat race
competition you can participate on this competition by registering yourself
there are proper safety arrangement for participant this event is not for
family only boys can participate.
Paragliding:
There are few clubs who participates in healthy activities like
hiking, climbing, camping and adventures are now starts a project of
paragliding in Mangla dam. First they give proper training and safety
precautions after that you may fly in sky it is not a famous activity in
Pakistan but gradually people are getting interest activities like this.
How to Access:
Mangla dam is about 60 miles from the capital Islamabad there are
no airport in Mirpur so you have to take flights to Islamabad from there you can book local transport
and hiring transport. There is an airport in Muzafarabad but it is not for
civil use if you have small plane and contacts with Army you may flight to
Muzafarabad from where you can easy access Mirpur Mangla dam. The nearest areas
from Mangla dam are Muzafarabad, Baagh, Kotli, Rawalakot and Islamabad.
