LAHORE, Nov 8: The canals emanating from the Sukkur barrage will remain closed from Jan 5 to 26 for repairs, says a press release issued by the National Development Consultants.

Floor and sheet pile of upstream right pocket of the barrage had been damaged recently when a large pit was created there. The damage seriously undermined the safety of the barrage.

The Sindh chief minister recently took up the matter with the president who ordered the Frontier Works Organization, under the command of the engineer-in-chief of the Pakistan Army, to start the repair work immediately.

FWO director-general Maj-Gen Shahid Niaz and Brig Javed Ashraf Bajwa along with consultants visited the site on Nov 5 and 6. They discussed the situation with the irrigation chief engineer and a strategy to undertake the job.

The meeting noted that equipment and material for the repair work had already been mobilized and it would be completed between Jan 5 and 26.