HARIPUR, Pakistan — A rock mass collapsed at the construction site of the Tarbela Dam 5th Extension Hydropower Project (T-5) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday, November 9, sending water surging into work areas and forcing an emergency halt to construction, the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) said.
Source: Dawn reporting, via Daily Imroz, Nov 9 2026
WAPDA said the rock fell during excavation of the project's 2nd Bench Connecting Tunnel, allowing water from the Intake Pit to enter the tunnel and the under-construction power house area. Reports from Swabi carried by Dawn described the failure as a collapse of a protective bund at the under-construction Tunnel-5 that triggered a sudden surge of water from the reservoir into downstream work areas; WAPDA's own account attributes the inflow to the weak rock mass giving way during excavation.
All workers evacuated safely, WAPDA says
"All workers were immediately evacuated safely," WAPDA said in its statement, adding that there were no injuries or deaths among the workforce. The Express Tribune reported that one Pakistani worker was swept into the water but was rescued by emergency teams, and no casualties were reported. Local and foreign personnel, including Chinese engineers and workers on the project, were moved out of the site.
WAPDA said the Intake Pit has been fully drained, no further water is flowing into downstream work sites, and dewatering of the power house area has begun. Senior WAPDA officers, the project engineer and the contractor are at the site assessing the damage and the challenges ahead.
WAPDA rejects 'T-5 tunnel collapsed' reports
WAPDA dismissed reports circulating about a collapse of the T-5 tunnel itself, saying the main tunnel, the power house structure, the tailrace culvert and the switchyard had not been damaged. Haripur Deputy Commissioner Waseem Ahmed, who visited the site, said the main Tarbela Dam embankment suffered no damage and the situation was under control, and he ordered an inquiry into the incident. A senior district administration official said there was no threat of flooding downstream of Tarbela at present.
Source: YeJahan News Network, Nov 9 2026
In Swabi, Deputy Commissioner Nasarullah Khan said additional water had been released from the dam for "unavoidable" reasons, which would raise the flow and level of the Indus River. He urged residents to avoid bathing, swimming and boating in the river, to follow public safety notices, and not to believe rumours. A public advisory from the Assistant Commissioner of Ghazi said water discharge from Tarbela Dam was expected to exceed 150,000 cusecs.
Second water incident at T-5 — and a project already years late
Monday's collapse is not the project's first. A government-constituted inquiry committee reported in July that the contractor, the consultant and WAPDA were responsible for an earlier cofferdam collapse at T-5, citing unauthorized design changes made after the contract was signed as one of the main reasons. That earlier collapse contributed to a delay of at least two years and a cost increase of more than 285 percent, with the project's cost rising from Rs82 billion to Rs317 billion (yaani about Rs31,700 crore). Before Monday's incident, T-5 was scheduled for completion by the end of June 2028, instead of 2026.
Source: Dawn reporting, via Daily Imroz, Nov 9 2026
What is solid
- A rock mass collapsed during excavation of the 2nd Bench Connecting Tunnel at T-5 on Monday and Intake Pit water entered the tunnel and powerhouse area, per WAPDA
- All workers were evacuated; WAPDA reports no injuries or deaths, and construction has been suspended with an inquiry ordered
- WAPDA says the main dam, main tunnel, powerhouse structure, tailrace and switchyard are undamaged, and officials say there is no downstream flood threat at present
What is only claimed
- Dawn's Swabi reporting described a protective bund collapse sending reservoir water into downstream work areas, while WAPDA attributes the inflow to a weak rock mass collapsing during excavation — the exact failure point is part of the inquiry
- The Express Tribune reported one worker was swept into the water and rescued; WAPDA's statement says simply that all workers were evacuated safely with no injuries
What happens next
Work at T-5 remains suspended while WAPDA, the project engineer and the contractor assess the damage, and the district inquiry establishes the cause. The restart date is not known, and the cost and schedule impact are still under investigation — a fresh setback for a 1,530 MW addition that Pakistan is counting on to lift Tarbela's total capacity from 4,888 MW to 6,418 MW. Downstream, residents along the Indus have been told to expect a higher river flow from the extra discharge and to stay out of the water until officials say otherwise.