PESHAWAR, Jan 7: Federal ministry of water and power will help finance to conduct a study to know how much water should be released down stream Kotri to check sea intrusion in Sindh, according to sources.

"The ministry of water and power has been asked by the recently constituted special parliamentary committee on water resources to arrange financing to get the much wanted study to determine the quantum of water that should be let go through down stream Kotri to check sea intrusion," said a source.

According to sources, the proposed study was supposed to be conducted much earlier, in line with a decision taken under the 1991 water accord but the same could not be materialized because of 'bureaucratic delays and apathy on the part of the authorities concerned'.

The parliamentary committee on water resources, constituted to put forth recommendations for solving the water-related issues and evolve country's water strategy, has asked the ministry of water and power to fulfil procedural requirements to launch the study at the earliest.

"Though the parliamentary committee on water resources would submit its interim report by the end of June 2004, the finding of study would be incorporated in the final report as it will take at least one year to complete the study," said an official.

As the special committee wanted to get the study launched at the earliest, it had requested the ministry of water and power to arrange bridge financing to bear the cost of the survey.

The ministry had been requested for the financing to avoid further lapse of time because the provision of funds by the donor agencies would keep the government waiting for launching the study, the official said.

Similarly, the ministry of water and power has also been asked by the same parliamentary committee to provide funds for getting conducted an other survey to assess the environmental impact of discharging water down stream Kotri. "Both the studies would be conducted simultaneously as both are of great significance," the officer added.