KARACHI: The Indus River Commission (IRC) has approved four flood protection schemes with a total estimated cost of Rs 1,194 million and recommended them to the Federal Flood Commission (FFC) for implementation.

The IRC also approved another scheme for the construction of a new four-lane bridge over the Indus on Thatta-Sujawal Road, parallel to the existing damaged bridge, with a total cost of Rs 2.7 billion.

Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, who presided over the IRC meeting held at CM House on Thursday, constituted a high-powered committee headed by Chief Secretary Muhammad Siddique Memon to examine and evaluate the estimated cost of the schemes along with determining the presence of any technical issues, and submit the report within a week. The other members of the committee are Additional Chief Secretary Planning and Development Muhammad Wasim, Provincial Secretary Irrigation Syed Zaheer Haider Shah and Sohail Rajput, Secretary Finance.

The irrigation secretary informed the meeting that the total estimated cost of 14 different flood-related schemes would be Rs 2,042 million.

The four-lane bridge on the Thatta-Sujawal Road was the most important one, to aid in the mobility of people and goods between Karachi-Thatta-Thar Coalfield. The bridge is 1,040 metres long and has been designed to sustain high pressures of up to one million cusecs of water flow in the river.

The IRC also discussed two other schemes including a proposal for recoupment of stone apron along SH bund with an estimated cost of Rs 99.899 million and recouping of stone apron along guide bank of Thatta-Sujawal bridge with an estimated cost of Rs 88.858 million.

The four schemes which were approved by the IRC with a total estimated cost of Rs 1,194 million are: raising and strengthening of spurs downstream of Sukkur Barrage and Rohri Nabisar (RN) Bund in Barrage Division Sukkur at an estimated cost of Rs 198.074 million, recoupment of stone apron along left guide bank upstream Guddu Barrage with an estimated cost of Rs 665.715 million, stone pitching along the SM bund Rohri Division Kandiaro with an estimated cost of Rs 200.441 million and recouping stone apron to maintain sections of SM Bund, Bakhri loop Bund and escape channel and raising and strengthening of SM Bund from mile 12/0 to 12/7 at an estimated cost of Rs 129.770 million.

In his address at the meeting, the chief minister said that after the flash floods of 2010, the Sindh government has invested huge amounts to strengthen the embankment of the Indus. However, he directed the authorities concerned to revisit the present status of flood protective embankments / bunds and introduce a scheme, if necessary, to strengthening the bunds and protect the people.

He directed the officers to fix the priority of the scheme before submitting it to the FFC.

He also asked the officers concerned to remain strictly vigilant over the embankments of the Indus and other off-taking canals to avoid any possibility of breaches in the future

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2015

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