The Punjab Agriculture Department has launched the second phase of Punjab mini dams construction in the rain-fed Potohar region, aiming to build 150 new sites in Rawalpindi division by 30 June 2027. The work forms part of a three-year Agriculture Transformation Plan and offers farmers a 70 percent subsidy so rainwater can support year-round irrigation, horticulture and fish farming.
What phase two will deliver
Under phase two, 150 mini dams are planned across Rawalpindi division. Billions of rupees have been released for the project, and a subsidy of Rs1.75 million is being provided for each mini dam. In the first phase, 111 mini dams were completed in the previous fiscal year, giving the second wave a ready base of small storage sites in the same broad Potohar landscape.
The scheme sits under an initiative Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz launched for Potohar. Rainwater is to be held in the ponds and then used on fields, orchards and other farm activities instead of running off unused.
Why the dams matter for Potohar farms
The project is expected to cut soil erosion, limit flood damage when heavy rain hits, keep water available for cultivable land through the year, and raise groundwater levels over time. The same storage is also meant to open more profitable work such as horticulture and dairy farming beside traditional crops.
Because Potohar is largely rain-fed, growers often wait on the monsoon. Small dams that catch and hold that rain are intended to stretch water into dry weeks and support orchards and kitchen-scale fish culture as well as field crops.
Farmers’ response and what comes next
Growers Afzal Ali and Faizan said the project would help them by securing water for crops and orchards throughout the year. They also noted that fish could be raised in the mini dams for household use, and that the water bodies might draw aquatic birds.
Construction under phase two is scheduled to run through to 30 June 2027 in Rawalpindi division. How quickly individual sites are finished will depend on local groundwork and uptake of the subsidy, but the department’s stated target remains those 150 Punjab mini dams within that deadline.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Punjab Agriculture Department Potohar mein chhote dams ka doosra phase shuru kar chuki hai. Rawalpindi division mein 150 mini dams June 2027 tak banane ka plan hai. Har dam par Rs1.75 million subsidy mil rahi hai, taake barish ka pani kheton aur baghon ke liye mehfooz rahe. Is se kisanon ko saal bhar pani, baghbani aur machhli palne ka mauqa mil sakta hai.
