DADU: Sindh Irrigation Department Secretary Babar Husain Effendi has said work on the rehabilitation of Sukkur barrage will be started with a cost of Rs23 billion.

Talking to reporters after a visit to Manchhar Lake here on Monday, he said its feasibility report was prepared by reputed firms.

He said Sukkur Barrage was the backbone of irrigation network and agriculture system of Sindh and it needed rehabilitation.

In reply to a question, he said correspondence was under way with the World Bank to receive loan and in the next fiscal year, the work on rehabilitation would be started.

About improvement in water distribution at the tail-end canals and branches, he said that to improve the distribution, monitoring would be conducted through satellite and telemetry system.

At first, a pilot project of the satellite and telemetry system would be launched at tail-end canals and branches at Naseer, Hala and Nusrat divisions of Rohri canal.

He said that at present, there was no complaint of water shortage from any waterway or branch in the province.

Following directives of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, a meeting was held with the office-bearers of the Sindh Abadgar Board and Sindh Chamber of Agriculture a few days ago in which a decision had been taken to improve water distribution at the tail-end of canals and work on Left Bank Out Fall Drain and Right Bank Out Fall Drain.

He said it had also been decided that the representatives of Sindh Abadgar Board and Sindh Chamber of Agriculture would attend every meeting to present their ideas for improving water distribution at the tail-end of canals.

Answering a question, he said 12 reverse osmosis plants were already functioning at Manchhar Lake and each plant was supplying 50 gallons sweet water per day to inhabitants of Manchhar and six more would be set up at the lake for 40,000 people.