Khanpur Dam is a dam located on the
Haro River
Haro ( ur, ) is the name of a river that flows through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and parts of Punjab. Its main valley is in Abbottabad District in the Hazara Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, northern Pakistan. The famous Khanpur Dam has been b ...
in
Khanpur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khanpur Tehsil () is a Tehsil and one of the 44 union councils of Haripur District in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South A ...
about 50 km from
Islamabad
Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...
. It forms Khanpur Lake, a reservoir which supplies drinking water to Islamabad and
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan's ...
and irrigation water to many of the agricultural and industrial areas surrounding the cities.
The dam was completed in 1983 after a 15-year construction period at a cost of . It is high and stores of water.
Blue-green water and tourism
The blue -green water of dam attracts hundreds of tourists from all over the Pakistan. Every week, between 40,000 to 50,000 tourists visit Khanpur Dam. Tourists enjoy various ground- and water-based activities, such as:
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Para Sailing
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Scuba Diving
Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...
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Cliff jumping
Cliff jumping is jumping off a cliff as a form of sport. When done without equipment, it may be also known as tombstoning. It forms part of the sport of coastal exploration or "coasteering". When performed with a parachute, it is known as BASE ju ...
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Jet skiing
A personal watercraft (PWC), also called water scooter or jet ski, is a recreational watercraft that a rider sits or stands on, not within, as in a boat. PWCs have two style categories, first and most popular being a runabout or "sit down" whe ...
* Family
boating
Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether Motorboat, powerboats, Sailing, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sp ...
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Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...
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Zip-lining
A zip-line, zip line, zip-wire, flying fox, or death slide is a pulley suspended on a cable, usually made of stainless steel, mounted on a slope. It is designed to enable cargo or a person propelled by gravity to travel from the top to the bo ...
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Camping
Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...
* Waketubing
Archaeological sites
There are several excavated Buddhist archaeological sites nearby that also attract local and foreign tourists.
Bhamala Buddhist Complex
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Sculptures and heads dating back to second to fifth century AD have been discovered during excavation at Bhamala Buddhist Complex near Khanpur known as
Bhamala Stupa
Bhamala Stupa ( ur, ) is a ruined Buddhist stupa and National Heritage Site near Haripur, Pakistan that dates to the 2nd century CE. It is located on the bank of Haro River, a tributary of a Khanpur Dam, and is a tourist destination. Bhamala st ...
. During excavation, precious coins of
Kushan period were also found around the
stupa
A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation.
In Buddhism, circumamb ...
. Bhamala archaeological site had been declared national and world heritage site located near Khanpur dam. The ruins dated back to fourth century BC. The stupa is cross-shaped and looks like an
Aztec Pyramid.
Rajgan Mosque
The deserted Rajgan Mosque, locally known as the "Rajon ki Masjid", is believed to be over 100 years old. It is now only used for Eid prayers, as people use the newly-constructed mosques in the nearby areas for everyday prayers. It has a large prayer hall and a time-worn brick courtyard in need of restoration and rehabilitation.
See also
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List of dams and reservoirs in Pakistan
This page shows the Province-wise list of dams and reservoirs in Pakistan According to the International Commission on Large Dams73 dams and reservoirsin Pakistan are over in height. Tarbela Dam is the largest earth-filled dam in the world ...
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List of power stations in Pakistan
Pakistan has a total installed power generation capacity of 43,775 MW as on 30 June 2022. Which includes 26,683 MW thermal, 10,635 MW hydroelectric, 1,838 MW wind, 530 MW solar, 369 MW bagasse and 3,620 MW nuclear.
Thermal
In service
Currentl ...
References
External links
{{Protected areas of Pakistan
Coordinates on Wikidata
Dams in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Dams completed in 1983
Dams in Pakistan
Hydroelectric power stations in Pakistan
Haripur District