HYDERABAD, Dec 18: The Water Control Committee for Manchhar Lake on Thursday recommended to the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) to release extra water downstream Sukkur Barrage to help protect the lake.

Hyderabad District Nazim Kanwar Naveed Jamil, who heads the committee, said at the committee’s meeting that the lake had become as inter-provincial issue.

In addition to other sources, the lake received water from Balochistan through Hardeen, Shahdadkot, Meeroon Khan and MNV Drain, which had made the lake water highly contaminated and posed threat to people’s lives, he said.

He expressed concern over slow pace of development work on the Right Bank Outfall Drain and urged the authorities concerned to complete it at the earliest or make some temporary arrangements to divert MNV effluent from the lake.

He recommended establishment of an Electro Rode System at the lake for easy, early and scientific monitoring of lake water.

He pointed out to absence of Environment Protection Agency officials in the meeting and said that EPA must take proper measures to stop industrial units from releasing untreated effluent into the Indus River or its off-taking canals.

The nazim after discussing lake water quality in light of recommendations put forward by water technologist Dr Mohammad Ahsan Siddiqui about reduction of water flow in the river, re-fixed release of water quantum from the lake into the river at the ratio of 1:23 as against the previous 1:40 and allowed irrigation authorities to release 350 cusec against water flow of 9,000 cusec recorded on Dec 18.

He expressed satisfaction over a report that the flow of Indus River had increased to 12,000 cusec from 12 noon on Thursday and it would enable irrigation authorities to discharge up to 500 cusec lake water.

The meeting decided that the quantum of water should be increased or decreased from the lake according to availability of water in the river.

The nazim said that the district government put in place the water monitoring system to ensure supply of safe drinking water to people after the city witnessed scores of deaths from consuming toxic water in May 2004.

The chief engineer of the right bank of Indus River, Agha Aijaz Ahmed, said in his briefing that level of water in the lake had touched 113.35 feet RL and in case it crossed 114 or beyond then it would become difficult to control.

He said that in view of present rainy season and in anticipation of torrential rains as forecast by metrological department, it had become inevitable for his department to deplete the lake down to safer level to avoid a possible disaster.

He said that his department would give full discharge of water available upstream Sukkur Barrage on Jan 6, 2009, when the barrage gates were raised to deplete its ponds for annual inspection.

He said that in addition to efforts for reducing level of water in the lake, intensive patrolling on the embankments was being carried out and Abkalani material along with necessary machinery and manpower had been made available at the lake to meet any eventuality.

Water Technologist Dr Ahsan Siddiqui said that reports of water samples taken from Aral Wah on Dec 16 revealed that quality of water had improved due to rains.