MUZAFFARGARH: Irrigation Secretary Hassan Iqbal has formed a two-member committee to find the construction fault developed after the rehabilitation process of the Taunsa Barrage.

The barrage, a lifeline of seven districts of south Punjab, is in a very bad condition. Its concrete block floor, inverted filters and stone apron have disappeared; and the barrage may sink anytime, said Dr Zulfiqar Ali, professor of hydraulics and irrigation engineering at the UET, Lahore.

This barrage had been rehabilitated during 2006-09 with an expenditure of nearly Rs11 billion borrowed from the World Bank.

Dr Ali rejected the scope of a probe team and said the department should have sent the hydraulic experts to examine the health of the barrage.

He said he had planned to move the Supreme Court against the government for executing the rehabilitation of the barrage. Dr Ali told Dawn that the barrage was well-designed hydraulically and its energy dissipation system was working well.

Uprooting of concrete blocks in stilling basin and damages to skin concrete occurred in the past and were fixed by spending a few millions. These damages were due to structural weaknesses of the stilling basin floor and strengthening of the floor was obvious solution which was done during rehabilitation of the barrage, he said.

Dr Ali said that recent damages were not due to the operational mistakes/irregularities as every barrage was having a dual system for mixing of water/energy dissipation.

“If someone opens the gates quickly, the impact/friction blocks mix water developing high turbulence and kill velocity rollers and water passes over the block floor and stone apron without causing any damage”, he said.

Dr Ali said the impact and friction blocks from the stilling basin had been removed and a 7-ft high sub-weir/wall was being constructed in the name of barrage rehabilitation.

He said after the construction of sub-weir the control of river direction downstream of the sub-weir was being lost. The situation might be further worsening after the construction of Taunsa Hydropower Project.

He said he did his best to stop a similar destructive project which was under implementation at the Jinnah Barrage by taking US$ 145.6 million from the World Bank.

When asked about the remedial measures at the Taunsa Barrage, Dr Ali said the restoration of stilling basin to the original design and removal of sub-weir was the only way to save this valuable national asset.

He also requested the irrigation authorities to stop construction of wall/sub-weir downstream of the Jinnah Barrage as this would also have very serious consequence.