SUKKUR: High officials of World Bank and Sindh irrigation department launched Rs34 billion project for the restoration and modernisation of 90-year-old Sukkur Barrage on Wednesday.

WB Task Team Leader Francois Onimus and the project director of WB-funded Sindh Barrages Improvement Project (BISP) of the irrigation department, Ghulam Mohiuddin Mughal performed the launch of the project at a ceremony at the barrage, said a press release.

Mr Onimus said that Sukkur barrage was one of the oldest barrages in Pakistan and in the context of climate change, the structure’s modernisation and rehabilitation would enable it bear unusual rise in water flows in flood season in coming years. “All of its components will be rehabilitated under the Sindh Barrages Improvement Project (SBIP) of Sindh government,” he said.

He said that within scheduled period of four years all 66 gates of the barrage would be replaced and its civil and mechanical components would be rehabilitated. Sindh was facing the major brunt of climate change hence the barrage’s rehabilitation would make it stronger and greatly benefit farmers, he said.

SBIP Project Director Ghulam Mohiuddin Mughal said that the project had been started with revised total cost of Rs34 billion (Sukkur Barrage Package-1). “It is a historic event to launch the ceremony of the project,” he said

He said that the barrage had already outlived its life and the project would cure it of all the problems with its off-taking canals and the main structure. The barrage with seven off-taking canals and 9.2 million acres of cultivable command area would help boost Sindh’s economy, he said.

He said the new gates would ensure proper and unhindered distribution of water and rid the barrage of silt depositing issue. The project’s objective was to strengthen the irrigation department’s capacity to effectively rehabilitate, operate and manage the barrage, he said.

The programme was also attended by WB team members Ms Thiruni Liyanaga, Co-Task Team Leader Shafiq Hussain, FAO representative Ahmed Junaid Memon, Sukkur Barrage Chief Engineer Syed Sardar Ali Shah and other officials of SBIP and irrigation department

Later, WB mission led by Mr Onimus visited several components of the barrage and the Rice Canal.

Delegation briefed

Sukkur Barrage’s chief engineer Syed Sardar Ahmed Shah said while briefing the WB team that 1.2 million cusecs of water passed through the barrage in 2010 floods and 0.6 million cusecs flowed through the structure this year.

He said the rehabilitation and modernisation of the structure, gates and off-taking canals was necessary to increase its capacity and endurance, which would in turn benefit agriculture and irrigation sectors.

SBIP technical Imran Aziz Tunio said that operating systems of the 66 gates and their hoisting system would be changed, extending its life by further 50 years.

He said that a new feasibility study would be conducted to look for possible locations for constructing a new Sukkur barrage as well. The modernisation would also improve monitoring and surveillance systems, he added.

Chief resident engineer John Prytherch said that in the context of climate change impacts, the barrage’s modernisation would highly benefit agriculture sector.

Another WB team visits Sukkur, Guddu barrages

Another WB mission led by Takeaki Sato, environment specialist, Imran-ul-Haq and SBIP deputy director (environment) Dr Ali Asghar Mahesar visited the Sukkur and Guddu barrages and inspected environmentalist issues with regard to the barrages.

Mr Sato said during the visit that work continued on conservation of Indus Blind Dolphin and environmental management plan for the two barrages under SBIP.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2022