THATTA: Work on the cement concrete lining of Udero Lal channel, which had stalled in the wake of protests by growers and members of local chapter of a nationalist party, resumed on war-footing on Wednesday.

Officials of the irrigation department arranged a press briefing near the coastal town of Garho to allay fears of tail-end growers and villagers about the objective behind the lining work and said that it was being carried out to overcome acute water shortage and ensure smooth supply of water to remote coastal areas, particularly tail-end deltaic talukas of Keti Bunder, Ghorabari and Kharochan in Thatta district.

Executive engineer of irrigation department, Rahim Qureshi, said that National Engineering Services Pakistan served as consultant for the channel lining project under which the branch was being cemented from RD-118 to RD-201 to enhance its water carrying capacity from 1200 cusecs to 1500 cusecs and help overcome water shortage in the district’s coastline where population had been facing water crisis for over two decades.

About technical aspects of the canal’s design, the official said that the canal’s zero back level would be at 39 feet and at RD-118 its depth would be 22 feet whereas in the tail-end it would be 8 feet so that the tail-end growers in particular were not deprived of their legitimate share in water.

He said that during the persisting water shortage throughout the province Sukkur barrage was receiving 22,000 cusecs of water and Kotri barrage was getting merely 5,000 cusecs.

PPP MPA Haji Ali Hassan Zardari termed the project an exclusive gift for the thousands of fishermen and other coastal communities by Sindh government and disclosed to this reporter that the mega project would have a positive impact on the environment, flora and fauna and bring prosperity to the coastal area.

Some local growers, Abdul Hameed Panhwer, Shahnawaz Lohar, Khalifo Noor

Mohammad and others believed that the lining project would reduce hyper-salinity, increase livelihood resources and minimise water theft from the canal’s outlets, Ghorabari Minor, Garhko Minor, Baghaan Wah, Daarsi Shakh and other distributaries.

Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2022