HYDERABAD, Jan 21: Release of poisonous water from Manchhar Lake into River Indus began here on Monday evening in the wake of a coordination between the district nazim Hyderabad and Irrigation Department Chief Engineer of Sukkur Barrage Left Bank.

A press release of district nazim Kanwar Naveed Jamil issued here said that Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) has been directed to store water for eight days because water from the lake would be released at the ratio of 1:30 on January 21. He further said that permission for release of lake’s water has been given after due testing of water samples at different locations between Manchhar lake and River Indus.

He directed MD of WASA to store water for eight days so that any possibility of lifting water from River Indus could be avoided in case of emergency.

He informed that earlier the water was to be released on January 19 but it had begun on January 17 due to some misunderstanding. Subsequently, he said, its discharge was stopped when he intervened in the matter.

He said that realising the fact that level of Manchhar lake had attained dangerous proportions it has been decided that water would be released at 7pm on January 21 with the ratio of 1:30 which is a safe ratio in order to ensure that river water should not get polluted or contaminated. He called regular testing of water samples. He said that in case of contamination of river water the discharge from lake would be stopped.

According to Kotri barrage’s control room, discharge of 6005 cusec of water was recorded at Kotri upstream and with nil discharge at downstream. The downstream Sukkur barrage is recorded at 3285 cusec and 5885 at upstream.

The level of Manchhar lake, according to CE Sukkur Barrage left bank, is 112.35 RL. The CE Atta Mohammad Soomro said that discharge has begin and added that the ratio of 1:30 would be changed after water flow is improved at Sukkur down stream.

The water technologist and district government’s consultant Prof. Dr. Ahsan Siddiqui also confirmed that release of 80 cusec of water from Manchhar had begun and he had also despatched his staff for regular testing of water.

He said that he had proposed that the ratio of 1:25 of dilution of lake’s water into River Indus but 1:30 ratio would also be safe. He said that he would personally visit the lake on Tuesday and during regular testing of water if he noted any abnormality, then he would strongly recommend closure of discharge into river from the lake.