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| November 12, 2006 | Sunday | Shawwal 19, 1427 |
Rs4bn more for Sindh, Balochistan water projects
ISLAMABAD, Nov 11: The federal government has finalised two separate plans for developing new water resources in Sindh and Balochistan to help meet their growing water requirements.
The federal government has also decided to provide Rs2.3 billion for Balochistan and Rs1.7 to Sindh in 2006-07 to help execute their water plans.
According to officials, World Bank has approved its new water management plan for Pakistan aimed at helping the government to extensively meet the drinking, agricultural and industrial requirements of the country. Initially, the bank will provide financial and technical funding for the two provinces.
Sources said the government has also decided to revive the ground water division of the Balochistan Development Authority (BDA) for exploiting water resources in the province.
The main objective of the new public investment programme is the optimum use of limited resources to maximize the agricultural production.
Particular emphasis will be placed on the use of limited ground water supplies for fruits and vegetable productions.
Likewise, timely delivery of 10.65 cusecs per 1000 acres water supply to an area of about 290,000 acres in districts Sanghar and Umerkot in Sindh will be ensured for which Makhi-Farash Link Canal Project (Chotiari Phase-II) has been approved.
However, the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) has still to give a certificate to the provincial government for managing additional water during next two and half year period.
The area is currently being irrigated by 76-mile-long tail section of the Nara Canal below the Makhi Weir and a network of its off taking channels. Canal off-takes from the Chotiari Reservoir which is 13km wide and 16km long covering an area of 45,000 acres at normal pond level. The discharge capacity of the reservoir is 6,500 cusecs and the area to be benefited is 290,000 acres in Sanghar and Mirpurkhas districts.
Because of persistent silting trouble in this reach of the Nara Canal, throttling of section has taken place i.e. from the designed 3,860 cusecs to 1,867 cusecs at Makhi and from 3,100 to 870 cusecs at Farash.
The agriculture in the tract has suffered a serious set back. The channels below Farash are run by rotation even in Kharif. Shortly after converting the Nara Inundation Canal into a weir-controlled canal, its tail length below the Makhi Weir started facing trouble.
The aim is to remodel all existing channels for the projected conditions of revised designed capacities and provide a re-aligned 18 miles shorter carrier canal between the Makhi Weir and the Farash regulator with realistic slopes.
The federal government has allocated Rs200 million to the project in the federal Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) during 2006-07. The government of Sindh is expected to contribute 20 percent share for the project in Provincial ADP.
The federal government believes that the project is of important nature being linked with Chotiari phase-II and part of the Left Bank Outfall Drainage (LBOD) project and it should not be further
delayed and execution period of the project should be reduced to two and half years.
The Planning Commission has asked the ministry of water and power to ensure that Irsa urgently provides the certificate of water availability for the Makhi Farash Link Canal.
The secretary irrigation and power department of Sindh has informed the Planning Commission that all the land required will be acquired for the project within six months.
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