LARKANA: Work on strengthening Moria Loop Bund was almost complete after weeks of day and night struggle by irrigation officials and labourers. It was started on an emergency basis on July 10 after it was found to be the only dyke most vulnerable to breaches and erosion and resultant flooding mainly threatening Larkana, Naudero and Ratodero as the bund is located just 18 kilometres from the urban areas.

Long queues of trucks loaded with heavy stones were seen dumping their load down the dyke during the process to reinforce its vulnerable portion under the supervision of irrigation officials.

The dyke serves as the first line of defence on the right side of the Indus about 40 miles downstream Sukkur Barrage and 18 miles upstream Khairpur-Larkana bridge in Ratodero taluka, said executive engineer Nadeem Jafferi.

He said that as one stood at T-spur of the dyke one could easily witness the strong currents of river water down below. “This is the very spot which had suffered damage in 2023 flood, which caused its curvature to extend towards the bund,” said Jafferi.

It was visible that old stone curvature built during the last flood had sunk in river flows and a portion of it called ‘shield’ in irrigation terminology which was to deflect the flow had suffered erosion, heightening risks to the original structure. “Hence, a curvature has been constructed on a war-footing to save the dyke,” he said.

He said that as the irrigation department considered earlier efforts to repair the dyke to be insufficient, it embarked upon construction of another curvature (shield) as the ‘second line of defence’ measuring 1,430 feet.

Asked about emergency measures in case of threat to the structure, the official pointed towards piles of stones dumped on the bank and said about 150,000 cubic feet stones had been kept there to face any untoward situation. “This is a reserve stock of stones and more will be arranged urgently, if need be,” he said while supervising the work in mid-August.

Riaz Hussain Abbasi, assistant executive engineer posted at Akil-Aghani Loop Bund, said that though the river current had been diverted to the right bank, it was not striking the Moria dyke at a 90-degree angle.

Interestingly, the irrigation department started the work on an emergency basis by mobilising its resources without waiting for allocation of funds.

Mr Abbasi said that a scheme about the work on the dyke was prepared and submitted to the Sindh government and awaited the nod of the department concerned, although in principle the department had allowed to go ahead with it.

The irrigation secretary had green-signaled the emergency work as the actual scheme would take some time to reach maturity, said sources.

The work had been started on July 10 after reading the river’s behavior, but “the rise in flows to 218,000 cusecs prompted us to immediately begin additional work to save the spur and the bund itself,” said Mr Jafferi.

In the wake of emergency measures, the action at already damaged T-Spur was halted while work on strengthening the bank and constructing the second line of protection (curvature) was undertaken.

Mohammad Waris Jatoi, a senior worker of irrigation department who supervised the work, said that stones were dumped along 750 feet weak portion of the main dyke to strengthen the structure. “We are now safe,” he said confidently.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2024