SUKKUR, Oct 28: Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim has said construction of dams is necessary because the country, especially Sindh, is facing acute water shortage.

He, however, said construction of dams should not be initiated without consent of all provinces.

The chief minister, who on Thursday visited the Sukkur Barrage to inspect the repair work of the barrage, was talking to a group of journalists.

Answering a question about the Kalabagh dam, Dr Rahim said the federal government had taken no decision about construction of the dam so far and avoided further comment on the issue.

He said there should be consensus among the provinces on national issues as this would promote unity among people.

About the Sukkur Barrage, the chief minister praised President Gen Pervez Musharraf for ordering its immediate repair.

He said the repair work would be completed in four months at a cost of Rs1 billion which would include desilting from the gate areas of Dadu and Rice canals and construction of a cofferdam.

He said the Sindh government had requested the president for repair of the barrage after studying reports of various agencies, including the engineer-in-chief the GHQ, Rawalpindi, Wapda, Headquarters 5 Corps, and the Dams Safety Organization, Tarbela, about the barrage condition.

He hoped the work would be completed in the scheduled time before the advent of monsoon. He said the Sindh irrigation department would jointly supervise the work with Wapda and the Frontier Works Organization.

Dr Rahim said his government was committed to improving the irrigation network in the province, including the Sukkur Barrage, which was the backbone of Sindh's economy.

Earlier, Sindh irrigation and power secretary Ashfaq Memon, during the visit to Bay No. 1 and 2, briefed the chief minister about the volume of the repair work undertaken by army engineers.

He said the work was likely to be completed during the 2005 closure period of the barrage. He said the cause of the pit at the right bank of the barrage would also be identified so that such mishaps could be avoided in future.

Mr Memon said construction of the cofferdam would cost Rs58.385 million, repair of the pit area and downstream works Rs401.833 million and erection of a sheet pile would cost Rs183.6 million.

He said 85 per cent cost of the entire project would be borne by the federal government and the remaining by the Sindh government.

He said President Musharraf had directed the deputy chairman of the planning commission to approve the PC-1 on priority basis so that the 85 per cent share of the Centre could be released to the provincial government.

Sindh Zakat and Ushr Minister Mir Manzoor Ali Khan Panhwar, health adviser Faisal Malik, chief secretary Mohammad Aslam Sanjrani, in charge of the FWO, information secretary Mehtab Akbar Rashdi, senior irrigation officers and consultants of the Sindh government also attended the briefing.