HYDERABAD: “The rising level of Manchhar Lake is indeed a disturbing sign for us,” Special Secretary Irrigation Jamal Mangan commented on Sunday while discussing constant inflow of floodwater into the lake from its catchment area.

Despite hectic efforts to ease pressure on the lake over the last week, the lake’s gauge showed the level rising above the danger level of 123.3RL.

Three cuts had already been given and a fourth one was now likely, he said, observing that floodwater that had spread earlier was finding its way into the lake, which is a bowl shaped structure. He explained that the water level in the Main Nara Valley Drain (MNVD) or Right Bank Outfall Drain-I at RD-60 had recorded a fall of around 1ft to 1.5ft which showed water flows upstream Manchhar were recording a fall.

“A positive sign is that Indus river has continuously shown reduction downstream Sukkur Barrage so far,” he said while alluding to recording of two gauges at 6pm. He referred to Dadu-Moro gauge of 128ft and Amri bridge gauge of 110.2ft. Dadu-Moro gauge at 6am was 128.5ft. “Amri bridge is located downstream Manchhar lake and upstream Kotri Barrage”, he said.

According to irrigation figures, in previous weeks Manchhar level had finally risen to an alarming level of 123.3RL after deluges from Flood Protective (FP) bund and MNVD kept entering it after rains. It had dropped to 122.2RL.

After rising water level in the lake had rung alarm bells last week, irrigation authorities gave cuts to Manchhar’s embankment on Sept 4 and 5 at RD-52 and RD-14. Then came breach at RD-10 of MNVD, leading to displacement of people from five UCs in Sehwan taluka — Jaffarabad, Bubak, Wahur, Channa and Arazi. But later, remaining five UCs of the taluka were also inundated. The lake’s Aral tail, Aral head and Danister Wah regulators are currently releasing water into Indus River.

Wapda chief engineer (water) Sukkur Naeem Qadir Mangi also confirmed a two- to three-inch reduction in the MNVD at RD-20, Indus Link and Kari Mori locations during Sunday’s measurement.

CM briefed on flood situation

The irrigation department on Sunday informed Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah during a meeting that Kotri was still in high flood with 620,095 cusecs upstream and 593,597 downstream while Guddu and Sukkur were in normal position.

The CM was told that Manchhar Lake level was at 122.8RL today (Sept 11).

The chief minister said that it was 122.5RL a day earlier and it meant that the water level was still on the rise despite discharging its water into the River Indus.

Irrigation Secretary Sohail Qureshi informed the chief minister that 97,017 cusecs of Manchhar Lake water were discharged into the river and hopefully its water level would come down within the next 48 hours.

Youth drowns

A resident of Khairpur Nathan Shah, 25-year-old Khalid Hussain, son of Ghulam Mohammad Leghari, drowned while bathing in Aral tail near Lal Bagh, in Sehwan on Sunday. His body could not be recovered.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2022