March 11, 2002	Monday	Zilhaj 26, 1422

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ISLAMABAD, March 10: A committee constituted by the chief executive has suggested preparation of a master drainage plan for coordinated development of drainage schemes.

The committee led by federal food and agriculture minister, which was constituted last year to review the National Drainage Programme, has finalized its report and referred it to the chief executive’s secretariat, Food and Agriculture Minister Khair Mohammad Junejo told Dawn on Sunday.

Mr Junejo said the committee had recommended dropping a number of schemes included in the programme, particularly those which were in conceptional stage.

The emphasis of the committee was on those schemes which were in the construction stage and it called for their early completion.

About the master drainage plan, he said, its objective would be maximum utilization of flood water and ensuring safe disposal of effluents into the sea.

He said that the remaining part of Right Bank Outfall Drainage Canal was included in the National Drainage Programme. The committee has recommended that the work on the project should be completed expeditiously to save agriculture land of Sindh from damage.

The committee has recommended that foreign consultants should be hired for conducting a study on water required to be released downstream Kotri to keep the sea intrusion in check.