ISLAMABAD, Jan 6: Sindh has sought an immediate approval by the federal government to undertake rehabilitation and revamping of the Mithrao Canal. Informed sources told Dawn on Saturday that the centre was told that due to weak and lean condition of the canal, it had become very difficult for the province to run the canal safely with the discharge of 2,378 cusecs at the head and that canal's banks had become very weak.

Since the soil is very treacherous, branches have also occurred at different places, causing heavy losses to crops.

The Mithrao Canal takes off from the Nara Canal of Makhai Regulator. Its design discharge is 2,378 cusecs and it is 83.70 miles long and supplementing water for both irrigation and drinking purposes to remote areas in Mithi district headquarters, Diplo taluka headquarter and several other towns.

Besides this, a mega project of Thar coal is in search of 150 cusecs of sweet water for which Wapda has sought a permission from the federal government to also enhance the capacity of the Mithrao Canal to help meet the growing demand of the area.

The centre was informed that with the present condition of banks, it was quite difficult and dangerous to run the proposed discharge up to the tail of canals.

The existing modules of the canal are in very deplorable condition and required major repair. "It has become quite essential to tackle the system on top priority basis," Sindh maintained.

However, the province assured the centre that it would spend Rs165 million from its own resources to carry out the rehabilitation of the canal.

There are also 49 large and small distributaries and minors that take off from the main Mithrao Canal and its branches.

Total length of these irrigation channels is 568 miles. The irrigation water is provided for 81 per cent designed intensity — 28 per cent Kharif and 53 per cent Rabi.

The total CCA (command area) of the canal is 667,000 acres and the average Kharif cultivation is 27.0 per cent.

The federal government has directed Wapda to ensure the availability and supply of 150 cusecs sweet canal water on daily basis from the nearest feeder/distributary emanating from the Nara Canal or another canal to cater to water requirements of the proposed Thar coal project.

In case it was not possible, Wapda was asked to ensure the availability and supply of water of same quantity from the Left Bank Outfall Drainage system.

However, the Sindh government believed that once the Mithrao Canal was repaired, it would be in a position to also fulfil water requirements of the Thar coal project, beside meeting the usual irrigation and drinking requirements of the area.