September 03, 2008	Wednesday	Ramazan 2, 1429

LARKANA, Sept 2: The Right Bank Outfall Drain (RBOD) posed serious danger to Shahdadkot town as it would cause waterlogging and salinity, said Sindh Irrigation Secretary Mir Mohammed Parhyar on Tuesday.

Talking to journalists during a visit to the town, he expressed fear that the RBOD could cause disaster on the same scale as the Left Bank Outfall Drain had done in Badin.

He said that instead of continuing with the present design, the RBOD should be constructed along the natural course, right from Heerdin Drain to Hamal Lake. He said that he would soon talk to high-ups of Wapda’s Scarp division in this connection because it demanded urgent attention.

The secretary said that survey for the construction of an extension of Salar Channel from North Western Canal had been completed and work on it would soon start after taking into confidence Sindh food minister.

About widening of Gul Shakh, the secretary said that the Shakh was littered with encroachments and the department had approached the district nazim of Qambar-Shahdakdot to help remove encroachments before start of work.

He claimed that water shortage problem had been solved and remarked that frequent comments over water share between Sindh and Balochistan would generate hatred.

Ishaq Mugheri, Noor Nabi Junejo, Abdul Khalique Khoso and other representatives of Sindh Abadgar Board urged the secretary to appoint only one chief engineer instead of appointing one for the left bank and the other for the right bank of the River Indus. Two chief engineers had complicated the affairs, they said.

The secretary asked the engineers concerned to prepare a summery on the RBOD passing three kilometres from Shahdadkot town. According to Wapda’s design the RBOD passed very close to the town with discharge capacity of 1,600 cusec while its other portion away from Shahdadkot had the smaller capacity of 1,200 cusec, sources said.

Later, the secretary visited Saifullah Magsi Branch.