HYDERABAD: The federal government has notified Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro as member of the National Economic Council (NEC). The notification, shared with Dawn on Monday, was issued two days back.

Mr Shoro was nominated as Sindh’s member by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. Previously, the position was held by Nisar Khoro.

Jam Shoro told Dawn over phone from Islamabad on Monday that issues of 2022 flood ravages in Sindh, faulty design of Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD), K-IV, reconstruction of 2.1m flood-affected houses by the provincial government, rehabilitation of Right Bank Outfall Drain-I and III and incomplete Nai Gaj dam were raised in the NEX meeting held earlier in the day. “The CM took up issues of allocations or releases under Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for projects of Sindh and how the province felt neglected,” he said.

He said that federal government assured the CM of including Rs115bn LBOD scheme under PSDP project. He said Sindh CM also discussed K-IV project in detail, adding that the CM also mentioned that Sindh government was building 2.1m houses which were damaged or had collapsed in the 2022 flood for which federal government should also offer a helping hand.

Jam Khan Shoro notified as member of council

“I mentioned how LBOD affected lower Sindh region due to its faulty design and that a PSDP scheme is necessary for addressing its issues,” he said. He added that RBOD-I and III needed to be repaired because RBOD-I (Main Nara Valley Drain) was badly damaged in 2022 floods.

Jam Shoro pointed out that the Nai Gaj dam issue was placed before NEC as it was lying incomplete for a long time.

World Bank funded LBOD had been a serious issue in lower Sindh region as it had spelt disasters over the last several years during monsoon rains and flooding of late 90s then in 2003, 2011, 2020 and 2022 when LBOD burst its banks to maximum flows which were several times higher than its designed discharge of 4,600 cusecs.

LBOD is now with Sindh irrigation department with its components being spinal drain, Kadhan Pateji Outfall Drain, Dhoro Puran Outfall Drain and Tidal Link.

Sindh government in 2021 had designed natural waterways revival works — Dhoro Puran and others — at a cost of Rs2bn for Mirpurkhas and Badin districts that were to become part of an approved scheme worth Rs4,788.223m to take total cost to over Rs6bn. These drainage works would be carried out in order to help natural waterway move as per its old course and offload spinal drain of Left Bank Outfall Drain that goes to sea.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2024