Namal Lake () is a man-made lake located near Rikhi, a village on one corner of the Namal valley in Mianwali District, Punjab, Pakistan. It was formed following the construction of Namal Dam in . Namal Dam is situated some from Mianwali city.
The lake has a surface area of . There are mountains on its western and southern sides. On the other two sides are agricultural areas. It serves as a picnic spot for tourists from nearby areas, and functions as a habitat for waterfowl, Russian ducks, and Siberian cranes that migrate to the area during the winter months.
In 1913, British engineers built a dam on Namal lake to address the scarcity of irrigation and drinking water for Mianwali city. The dam was designed as a masonry gravity structure rather than an arch dam, as the foundation rock conditions were unsuitable for effective arch action. The alignment was slightly curved to better engage the valley sides. Flood handling was achieved primarily by temporarily storing inflows within the reservoir and releasing them through sluice gates, rather than relying solely on a large spillway, which was considered impractical due to downstream rock conditions and high discharge volumes. Six sluice gates (approximately 1.4 m wide and 1.8 m high) were installed at low level to maximize hydraulic head. Spillways were retained as a secondary safety measure. Construction used predominantly stone masonry set in lime mortar, with some concrete in the upper portions; locally sourced limestone was widely used, with higher-quality stone reserved for critical surfaces. A valve tower with multiple intake levels enabled controlled diversion of water into an associated canal system. Multiple sulphur springs (around fifteen) were encountered in the dam foundations. Although individually small, together they produced a significant flow of water containing hydrogen sulfide gas. The springs required continuous management during construction but were ultimately contained and safely routed downstream.
The dam was formally inaugurated on 2 December 1913 by Lieutenant-Governor Sir Michael OâÂÂDwyer. At the ceremony, it was named the âÂÂDane Damâ in recognition of Sir Louis DaneâÂÂs role in advancing the project.
Over time, the development of the Thal Canal system and widespread use of groundwater abstraction through tube wells reduced the damâÂÂs role in regional irrigation. The gates of the dam are repaired by the irrigation department regularly but without enthusiasm. The hill torrents and rains fill the Namal Lake round the year. Due to a drought-like situation in the country, this lake dried in 2022, which is the first incident of its kind in the last 100 years.
The Namal Canal was opened in December 1913. It received the Namal water from a lake of dam constructed across a gorge canal between Namal and Musakhel. The tail of the canal was at Mianwali, where it conveyed water to lands in the Civil Station. The canal was included under schedule-1 of the Minor Canals Act of 1905 by Punjab Government notification No. 84, dated 9th June 1914.