- Protective bund near the unfinished Tunnel No. 5 at the Tarbela Dam collapsed on November 9, 2026, causing a surge of water to flood the tunnel and powerhouse area.
- Following the incident, an emergency was declared at the site, and construction work was suspended while workers were evacuated to safer locations.
- WAPDA confirmed that no casualties had been reported, and water from the Intake Pit was drained after the incident.
- A high-level inquiry will investigate the cause of the bund's collapse, focusing on potential structural weaknesses or technical faults.
- In May 2021, WAPDA awarded a $354.6 million contract for civil works to Power Construction Corporation of China Limited for the Tarbela 5th Extension Project.
- The project has faced repeated delays, pushing its completion deadline back to September 2027.
- In August 2025, the project faced issues with water entering the construction site due to rising reservoir levels.
A protective bund collapsed near Tunnel No. 5 of the Tarbela Dam in Pakistan on Monday, leading to a significant flooding of the T-5 project site and the indefinite suspension of construction work.12
The Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) reported that the incident occurred during excavation of the 2nd Bench Connecting Tunnel, where a weak rock mass collapsed, allowing water from the Intake Pit to flood the tunnel.45
WAPDA confirmed that all workers were safely evacuated, stating, “No damage to the main tunnel, powerhouse, tailrace or switchyard. Reports of tunnel collapse are incorrect.” However, one worker was briefly swept into the water but was rescued by emergency teams.
Following the breach, an emergency was declared, and an investigation was launched to determine the cause of the collapse. WAPDA officials are assessing the situation, with a high-level inquiry expected to examine whether structural weaknesses or technical faults contributed to the failure.36
The T-5 project is part of the Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project, aimed at increasing the dam's generation capacity by adding three units of 510MW each. The project, with an approved cost of $807 million, has faced delays, pushing its completion deadline to September 2027.8
WAPDA awarded a $354.6 million contract for civil works to China's Power Construction Corporation in May 2021, with funding from the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Once completed, the project is expected to generate an average of 1.347 billion units of electricity annually, increasing Tarbela Dam's installed capacity from 4,888MW to 6,418MW.7
“WAPDA confirmed that all workers were evacuated safely and no casualties were reported, though one Pakistani worker was swept into the water and rescued. The $807 million project, funded partly by the World Bank, has faced repeated delays, with completion now pushed to September 2027.”
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