Colonel Dam at Rawalpindi a lesson in entrepreneurship
A retired Army officer built the Colonel Dam on the Chak Beli Road near Rawat, Rawalpindi which is a functional Freshwater fish farm. They even have a boat there.
Also, see
The bane of Retired Colonels
I thought retired colonels only participated in Coups, dealt in real estate, and were the odd, gruff figures no one wanted to deal with – this one probably slipped out of the cracks.
Colonels are neither appreciated at home nor desired in their Alma mater for being difficult to deal with.
There was a time when Colonels build Dams for the people of the country, but that was when the British were here.
Colonel John Pennycuick (1841–1911) was a British Army engineer who built the Mullaperiyar Dam of Kerala and Colonel J M Williams (1871) built the Bheer Dam Rajhistan
Pakistan’s small Dams
Pakistan had just begun building small dams, as the country was turning into a desert.
I was pleasantly surprised when someone told me a water dam has been constructed by some colonel near Bassali village near Rawat and it was a working fish farm as well.
It is rare to see someone in Pakistan have the courage to commit his own funds to a business venture because the risks are just too grave and the demand is too volatile to commit any private equity.
This I had to see for myself.
Colonel Dam Rawat Location
The Dam is located 20 minutes’ walk from Bisssali village on the Chak Beli Road of Rawat.
The best time to visit Colonel Dam
Springtime between March and April is the best time to visit the lake because the weather is pleasant there.
Colonel Dam Route
It was a pleasant spring afternoon and the road had thin traffic when I got to the Rawat Chak-Beli Junction.
It takes 45 minutes to drive from Rawalpindi to Bassali Village on Chak Beli Road.
You could see DHA from the village.
The road is carpeted and perfect to drive on except the last 15 minutes is on mud road.
I parked my pick up where Google Maps showed the Dam was also because the road had ended there.
Is it safe at the Colonel Dam site?
When I got out of my vehicle, I heard loud bursts of automatic weapons a few kilometers from the ridge where I parked my car.
I quickly reached for the Dagger that I carry with me on my excursions but drew empty.
I had forgotten my weapon at home and had to walk 20 minutes from the parking site to Dam Lake, passing tall wetland grass.
Nevertheless, the risk-taker in me and the yang to my ying always has the upper hand, so I started walking toward the lake.
Overall, the place is safe because hardly anyone visits the place.
Things to see at Colonel Dam Rawat, near Rawalpindi
As I got closer, the environment got quieter and the birds chirped louder.
I could also see the migratory birds in the pond.
Lo and behold, I found a 100- acre freshwater pond, dammed up and filled by seasonal rains and it was all done through private investments.
The water was calm and clean.
Boating at Colonel Dam
I saw a boathouse and a fiberglass boat on the opposite bank of the pond.
A local Sheppard lady told me the pond has two feet long fish that the retired colonel has farmed there and his workers live in the hut.
Next time I will bring my own inflatable boat to enjoy a boat ride in the ponds that I visit.
I couldn’t find a way to get to the opposite bank, so I sat under a shaded tree and contemplated my life.
Colonel Dam is a perfect picnic site
After a few minutes, I realized there was not much to contemplate as I had messed it up myself, so I stopped digging deeper and stuck to blaming the system.
The problem is solved.
I thought what a wonderful place it was for a family picnic.
After a peaceful half hour in the warm sun basking in the reflection of clear water, I got up to drive back.
On the way back to my car, I saw the Sheppard lady talking to another old guy under a shade tree.
I deliberately walked past the couple to break up their love jaunt because I am an A*shole.
Where to have lunch at Colonel Dam Rawalpindi
I preferred to drive back to the Rawat Junction with Rawalpindi and Islamabad called the T-chowk and have lunch at Mian Jee Restaurant with Jhal Chakian Daal with Ghee, namkeen Gosht, and Desi Chai.
The trip is complete.
Then, someone told me the Dam was not built by a Colonel, but by a retired Brigadier Tariq Yasin, so I am looking for the first productive retired Colonel again.
Conclusion
If the Pakistani banks stop being jerks and fund productive ventures like Colonel Dam, Pakistan would not have been the basket case it is right now.
Great Job Colonel Sahib, you give all retired colonels a bump in reputation.
If you guys want to visit the place with your boats, do inbox me.
Built by It Col Yasin
Not brig Tariq
Air code Tariq is son of
Lt Col Yasin
And 50 percent land is ancestral
Owned by
Col Nadeem Akbar
Cmdr Moh Ashraf
Moh Azad
Defendants of
Subedar Mansabdar Khan
Grand son of Col Jumma Khan
Since Raja Ranjeet Singh time