SUKKUR: A meeting of the officials of World Bank-funded Sindh Barrages Improvement Project was held at Sukkur Barrage on Thursday to review progress on ongoing civil and mechanical works at Guddu and Sukkur barrages.

Pretam Das, project director of SBIP held a meeting with project implementation consultant and SBIP officials in which it transpired that a Chinese company was awarded the work of restoration and up-gradation of Sukkur Barrage on Feb 23, 2023.

The work had been executed through the project management office of SBIP irrigation department and the scope of work was to replace 56 gates of main barrage weir and pockets and 55 gates of seven offtaking canals’ head regulators.

In first phase of the project, the Chinese had constructed cofferdam, after which 16 gates would be replaced this year. For this purpose, the firm was now working on surface dewatering, construction of underground wells, desilting of floor and apron, and removal of old existing gates, embedded parts and the hoisting system, said a handout.

It said the civil work of gates’ grooves had started and fabrication of 13 gates had been completed. In March, embedded parts and hoisting system would arrive from China and 16 gates of the main weir and two gates of pockets would be installed, it said.

It said the pavement, concrete blocks and an apron of 16 bays would be exposed in March and would be repaired. The first phase of work would be completed up to May 31 and in June the cofferdam would be removed, said the handout.

After four months of flood, from June to September, the second phase of work would start in October 2025, which was scheduled to complete on Feb 23, 2027.

About ongoing woks at Guddu barrage, the meeting was informed that Descon Engineering Limited was working at Guddu Barrage which was the first barrage across the Indus. Work on 25 gates of three canal headworks had been completed and 19 gates of the main barrage had been installed, it said.

It said that 20 gates would be installed up to June 30 this year and work on a total of 65 gates of the barrage would be finished up to June 2027. All building works and flood protection embankments had been completed, it said.

Meanwhile, the PD of the SBIP visited the cofferdam at Sukkur Barrage and replacement of gates at Guddu Barrage.

The meeting was attended by Noorul Arfeen Baloch, deputy project director; Abdul Razak Memon, contract management specialist; Abdul Fatah Memon, deputy director civil, Aijaz Shaikh, deputy director resettlement; Mohsan Masood, mechanical expert; Mumtaz Ghumro, assistant executive engineer (AXEN) mechanic, and Aijaz Shahani, AXEN civil.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2025