05 January 2005	Wednesday	23 Ziqa'ad 1425

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LAHORE, Jan 4: The Balochistan government has signed an agreement with two local engineering firms for remodelling the Pat Feeder irrigation system. The project is estimated to cost Rs2 billion.

The provincial irrigation and power department signed the agreement with a joint venture of the National Development Consultants (NDC) and Engineering Consultants International Limited (ECIL) for preparing a detailed design of the project and providing engineering services, including the project's construction supervision.

An NDC spokesman said here on Tuesday that Pat Feeder irrigation system, included the Kirthar, Uch and Minulty canals, would be remodelled within the next three years that would increase their capacity from 6,700 cusecs to 8,560 cusecs and bring an additional area of 159,000 acres under cultivation.

He said that under the Indus Water Appropriation Accord of 1991, Balochistan was allocated a perennial water share of 3.87 million acre-foot (MAF) but due to limited capacity of the Pat Feeder canals the province could not utilize more than 3.049 million cusecs of water.

The project includes extension of 37 kilometres of canals downstream of the current tail-end of the canal system, distributaries head regulators, cross drainage structures, flood inlet structures, distributaries, minors, bridges, fall structures, flood embankments and installation of telecommunication system in the area.