HYDERABAD: Guddu Barrage attained low flood level on Monday evening with an upstream discharge of 276,472 cusecs and downstream discharge of 261,959 cusecs.

The barrage is said to be receiving flush waters of Taunsa Barrage downstream where downpour is reported to have lashed Koh-i-Suleman range, according to a Sukkur Barrage official. He said that these were torrents’ water reaching Taunsa and then Guddu barrages.

He believed that present water flows entering Indus River from different sources would finally reach Guddu first. “Guddu Barrage will maintain low flood level for a few days,” said the official, Aziz Soomro.

Sukkur Barrage reported a flow of 181,780 cusecs upstream and 160,770 cusecs downstream while Kotri Barrage reported 94,505 cusecs upstream and 93,305 cusecs downstream. “Flows from Sutlej river are around 11,000 cusecs [at Islam] and then 21,642 cusecs flows from Sedhnai barrage, 77,789 cusecs flows from Trimmu barrage and around 50,000 cusecs discharge will be reported at Panjnad barrage. Subsequently, all these flows will join at Chachran and will then head for Guddu barrage to enter Sindh,” said the official.

Barrage to remain in low flood for some days, says official

His assessment was that Guddu barrage might be having around 300,000 cusecs flows in the next 48 hours in view of these anticipated flows. “Sukkur barrage’s left bank chief engineer Sardar Ali Shah has closed left bank canals of Khairpur Feeder East, Khairpur Feeder West and Rohri canals,” he said, and added that discharge in Dadu canal had reduced.

Nara canal is also getting reduced flows only to fill Chotiari reservoir in Sanghar district. Storage in Tarbela increased by another 4 feet, rising from 1,507 feet on July 24 to 1,511 feet on at 6am today (July 25). Inflows in the Tarbela Dam are constantly increasing.

Sukkur Barrage’s chief engineer (left bank canals) has also deputed staff at the main left bank dyke after canals remained either closed or levels dropped.

Breaches in dykes

Minor rain-related breaches in canals and distributaries were also reported. Rohri canal superintending engineer Zaheer Memon told Dawn over phone that due to a ‘river action’ T-spur of the Sadhiyon Matiari (SM) bund near Bhanote (Hala) in Matiari district was damaged at 135/7-mile location of the main bund.

“The river had changed its course and directly hit this part of the T-spur,” he said, and added that stones were being dumped and this work would continue for a few days because river’s main current had damaged apron and stone pitching of the spur. The Matiari deputy commissioner also visited the spot.

Sedimentation removal at Chashma

Meanwhile, Wapda on Monday requested the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) to allow it to carry out sedimentation removal operation at Chashma reservoir. Wapda’s chief engineer and project director Gohar Zaman Bhabha said: “It is informed by Irsa that due to filling constraint at Tarbela Dam surplus water flows are expected at Chashma Barrage in due course of time. Monsoon rain spell is continuing at present in large parts of the country and expected to continue for some time”.

He mentioned that availing this opportunity the project office would like to utilise surplus water/flood flows for effective removal of sedimentation from Chashma reservoir. He hoped that Irsa would allow this for executive subject activity, for enhancement of reservoir storage and flood routing capacity of the barrage in best national interest.

All three barrages in Sindh had experienced severe water shortage during Kharif season this year. Sindh did not get water against its allocated share and, similarly, Balochistan also did not gets its allocated share from Sukkur and Guddu barrages in the same period.

Now heavy rainfall has changed the water situation altogether, forcing the barrage authorities to reduce discharges into major canals to avoid breaches and also focus on flood-fighting at vulnerable points.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2022