Claim

Pakistan has failed to desilt or repair the Tarbela dam for 20 years, and heavy silt accumulation has reduced the dam's capacity by 40%.

“आप पिछले 20 वर्षों से इस बांध को न तो रोक पाए हैं और न ही इसकी मरम्मत कर पाए हैं। इस बांध में बहुत अधिक गाद जमा हो गई है... बांध की जीवन क्षमता में 40% की कमी आई है”

Rationale

Pakistani government surveys (WAPDA 2017 hydrographic survey) and reporting by Dawn and Express Tribune confirm Tarbela's gross storage capacity has declined roughly 40% due to heavy sedimentation, and that Pakistan has never desilted the reservoir — studies deemed it costlier than a new dam and technically unviable. The anchor's core factual assertions (no desilting, heavy silt accumulation, ~40% capacity loss) match the evidence as of the broadcast date. Minor caveats: the capacity loss accumulated over ~50 years since 1974–76 (not just 20), and Pakistan has performed repair/upgrade works (tunnel rehabilitation, hydropower extensions), so the 'no repair' framing is slightly overstated, which caps confidence below higher levels.

Evidence

• https://www.dawn.com/news/1727296 Dawn (2023): a 'mountain' of ~10 billion tonnes of accumulated silt has cut Tarbela's designed capacity by more than 40%, corroborating the 40% figure. ✓ reachable · archived
• https://tribune.com.pk/story/2298728/tarbela-loses-40-capacity-due-to-silting Express Tribune, citing WAPDA's 2017 hydrographic survey: gross storage capacity reduced ~40.58% (live ~37.5%) due to silting since operation began. ✗ unreachable
• https://www.dawn.com/news/1252785 Pakistan's government decided against de-sedimentation of Tarbela after studies found flushing uneconomical and technically risky — confirming no desilting has been carried out. ✓ reachable · archived
• https://www.dawn.com/news/776804/tarbela-desilting-to-be-costlier-than-new-dam WAPDA-commissioned assessments concluded desilting Tarbela would cost more than building a new dam of the same size, so it was never undertaken. ✗ unreachable · HTTP 403