Rawal Lake () in

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

is an artificial

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

that provides the water needs for the cities of

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

and

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

. The facility is maintained by Punjab Irrigation Department. Almost 70% of the catchment area of the lake is located in

Murree Murree () is a mountain resort city in the northernmost region of the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Lying in the Galyat region of the Pir Panjal Range under the western Himalayas, it forms the outskirts of the Islamabad–Rawal ...

while 30% is located in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).The fishing contracts for the lake are awarded by the

Islamabad Capital Territory Administration The Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICT Administration), () generally known as the Islamabad Administration, is the provincial-level civil administration (and the main law and order agency) of the Islamabad Capital Territory, which in ...

Korang River The Korang River is a stream in the Pothohar region of Punjab, Pakistan. It is fed by water from streams located in Murree Hills, and flows towards Islamabad. Korang Stream, along with some other small streams coming from Margalla Hills, has bee ...

along with some other small streams coming from

Margalla The Margalla Hills () are a hill range within the Margalla Hills National Park on the northern edge of Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan, just south of Haripur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They are part of the Himalayan foothills. The M ...

Hills have been set to form this artificial lake which covers an area of .

is the outlet stream of Rawal Dam. Rawal Lake is located within an isolated section of the Village Malpur, Bani Gala and

Margalla Hills National Park Margalla Hills National Park () is a List of national parks of Pakistan, national park in Pakistan located in Islamabad Capital Territory, near its northern boundary with Haripur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The park includes the Margalla Hills, ...

. Rawal Lake is contaminated with sewage nowadays from 2024. The dam has played a critical role in meeting water needs of the population, irrigating farmlands,

flood control Flood management or flood control are methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters. Flooding can be caused by a mix of both natural processes, such as extreme weather upstream, and human changes to waterbodies and ru ...

, and serving as natural habitat for various species of birds, fish, and other aquatic life.

History

History of the dam can be traced back to early 20th century when British Government intended to construct a dam across the

to meet the water demand of

which was considered as one of the largest cities in the region. Later on, in 1958 Government of Pakistan conducted a feasibility study for construction of dam and after due consultations project for construction of the Rawal Dam was awarded to an Italian firm namely Salini Impregilo. The dam was inaugurated by

Ayub Khan Mohammad Ayub Khan (14 May 1907 – 19 April 1974) was a Pakistani military dictator who served as the second president of Pakistan from 1958 until his resignation on 1969. He was the first native commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Army, se ...

in 1962 and it served as a major infrastructure progress.

Recreation

The area around the lake has been planted with flowering trees and laid out with gardens, picnic spots, and secluded paths. The terraced garden and the lake are used for picnics, fishing, and boating. The highest point in the garden offers a panoramic view of the lake,

and

hills, Rawalpindi, and Islamabad. Boating, sailing, water skating, and diving facilities are organized by private clubs. To the west of the lake is the Islamabad Club. The Islamabad Club is a government-organized institution that provides various sporting facilities.

Fauna

Wildlife

The reservoir is of considerable importance for wintering waterfowl, especially

Anas platyrhynchos The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa. It has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Argen ...

. Here the resident mammals include the

Red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus ...

Indian pangolin The Indian pangolin (''Manis crassicaudata''), also called thick-tailed pangolin and scaly anteater, is a pangolin native to the Indian subcontinent. Like other pangolins, it has large, overlapping Scale (zoology), scales on its body which act as ...

Indian crested porcupine The Indian crested porcupine (''Hystrix indica'') is a hystricomorph rodent species native to southern Asia and the Middle East. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It belongs to the Old World porcupine family, Hystricidae. Des ...

jungle cat The jungle cat (''Felis chaus''), also called reed cat and swamp cat, is a medium-sized cat native from the Eastern Mediterranean region and the Caucasus to parts of Central, South and Southeast Asia. It inhabits foremost wetlands like swamps, ...

Persian jackal The golden jackal (''Canis aureus''), also called the common jackal, is a wolf-like canid that is native to Eurasia. The golden jackal's coat varies in color from a pale creamy yellow in summer to a dark tawny beige in winter. It is smaller a ...

, Central Asian boar and

yellow-throated marten The yellow-throated marten (''Martes flavigula'') is a marten species native to the Himalayas, Southeast Asia, Southeast and East Asia. Its coat is bright yellow-golden, and its head and back are distinctly darker, blending together black, white, ...

, reptiles include

Indian Cobra The Indian cobra (''Naja naja /na''dʒa nadʒa/), also known Common name, commonly as the spectacled cobra, Asian cobra, or binocellate cobra, is a species of Naja, cobra, a venomous snake in the Family (biology), family Elapidae. The species is ...

and

Russell's Viper Russell's viper (''Daboia russelii)'' is a species of highly venomous snake in the Family (biology), family Viperidae. The species is native to South Asia. It was Species description, described in 1797 by George Shaw (biologist), George Shaw and ...

. The majority of

Birds of Islamabad This is a list of birds found in the Pakistani city of Islamabad. The Margalla Hills and Rawal Lake are notable bird watching locations. *Little grebe, '' Tachybaptus ruficollis'' *Little cormorant, '' Microcarbo niger'' *Great cormorant, ...

are found here.

Fishery

There are 15 fish species belonging to 11 genera that are present in Rawal Lake. The fish species in Rawal Lake and its tributaries include: Doula (''Channa channa''), Rahu (''Labeorohita''), Thaila (''Catla catla''), Mori (''Cirrhinus mrigala''), Carp fish (''Cyprinus carpio'') and Talapia (''Tilapia mossambica'').M.phil Thesis- Saadullah Ayaz- Ecological Zonation Margallah
/ref>

Features of Rawal Lake

*Location: Islamabad Park Area *Longitude: 73° 7' E *Latitude: 33° 41' N *Catchments Area: 106.25 square miles (275 km²)

Features of Rawal Lake dam

*Type of dam: partly arched gravity dam (stone-masonry) *Crest level: *Crest length: *Maximum height: Rawal dam

Saddle

*Length *Height

Spillway

*Type: Ogee gated structure *Discharge Capacity: 82000 ft³/s (2,300 m³/s)

Reservoir

*Area: *Maximum depth: *Live storage: *Dead storage: *Gross capacity:

Canals

*Left bank canal(Shahana Disty): length **Capacity: 40 ft³/s (1.1 m³/s) *** Purpose: Irrigation *Right bank canal (Ojri Disty): length **Capacity: 70 ft³/s (2.0 m³/s) *** Purpose: Drinking water supply to Rawalpindi

Drinking water supply

*Rawalpindi:

Command area

*Agriculture:

Notes

References

*Small Dams Organization(Govt. Of The Punjab, Irrigation Department, Development Zone, Lahore, Small Dams Organization, Islamabad) {{Dams in Pakistan Lakes of Islamabad Dams in Pakistan Tourist attractions in Islamabad