ISLAMABAD: The Sindh government has sought World Bank assistance for the rehabilitation of the 85-year-old Sukkur barrage to increase its life span and flood passage capacity with a view to ensure continuity of and improvement in the supply of irrigation water for about 3.33 million hectares.

The total estimated cost of the project has been put at $100 million and it is been planned to be completed in about four years. It would be executed by the Sindh irrigation department under its barrages improvement project.

Some major issues have cropped up over the past decade which made the federal and Sindh governments to consider necessary repair and rehabilitation of the barrage.

A study conducted for the purpose identified issues like shrinking flood passage capacity of the barrage gates and arches, sedimentation of the left and right pockets in front of intakes of canals, silting up of the right bank canals, scour at the left pocket, outdated equipment and electrical system and the damage requiring structural repairs of arches, piers and road deck.

The study suggested that there was a risk of failure of the barrage in the event of high floods and the failure could have catastrophic effect. Water supplies to all canals off-taking from it might also be badly affected besides the risk of severe flooding in Sukkur.

The study recommended substantial rehabilitation, maintenance and improvement works to restore its safe flood passage capacity and increase its life span.

The proposed project envisages removal of about 1.5 million cubic metres of sediments from both left and right pockets of the barrage and right bank tail channel through dredging and excavation; removal of about 4.24 million cubic metres of sediments to clear 25-km portion of Rice canal and right bank canals; 0.92 million cubic metres from a seven-km portion of North Western canal; and 0.25 million cubic meter from a seven-km portion of Dadu canal.

The de-silting of Dadu and North Western canals has been planned to be carried out over a period of two years but only during the month of January, when the canals are closed annually for maintenance works.

The de-silting of Rice Canal is to be carried out over a period of three months (October-December) during its six-month closure period.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2018