HYDERABAD: A decision on whether to handover Right Bank Outfall Drain-II (RBOD-II) to Wapda for completion of remaining works has still remained pending with Sindh government.

The provincial government’s steering committee – formed under chairmanship of the chief secretary for the project’s execution – had decided in October last year to propose to Sindh chief minister to hand over RBOD-II for completion of the project.

The completion of project, considered crucial for saving Manchhar Lake against an unending disposal of effluents into it stood delayed for two decades. The delay means delaying rehabilitation of this freshwater lake that was once home to migratory birds and a source of livelihood for the local fishing community.

Outgoing Sindh chief secretary Syed Mumtaz A. Shah had confirmed to Dawn that the steering committee has made such recommendation. He had claimed that Wapda had the expertise to complete such drainage project in view of its experience on RBOD-I and RBOD-III.

The decision to ask irrigation department to submit the relevant summary to the CM was taken in May 2021 in order to propose that the project be handed over to Wapda. But since then, the summary had not been moved to the CM by the department whether to get project executed by Wapda or otherwise. The summary was to be seen or discussed with irrigation officials by the sitting irrigation minister first.

Sindh secretary irrigation Sohail Qureshi informed Dawn on Wednesday that he chaired an internal meeting on RBOD-II issue a day earlier where he was informed that requests for proposals (RFPs) of consultants would be opened on May 13. RFPs were invited by Sindh government for hiring international consultants for RBOD-II to evaluate project and see whether the project needs changes design wise.

Project sources said that some national and international firms have submitted their requests while expressing their interest in project. But consultants were not yet finalised. National Engineering Services of Pakistan (Nespak) was also said to have submitted request besides some Turkish and Iranian firms. According Masood Sehar, project director RBOD-II, a final decision for hiring of consultants for technical evaluation was still pending with government.

Execution of major works on the project remains suspended for a long time for this policy level decisions and some other technical reasons. A huge amount of funds has already been spent on the project that remains incomplete to date. There was a view in provincial government that irrigation department could not executive this project thus Wapda should take over it. Wapda is also to complete K-IV water supply project for Karachi. With the work on RBOD-II remaining suspended, the government’s project steering committee has also approved its third-party evaluation which was also done by a six-member committee headed by Nasir Hanif, adviser (projects) Wapda.

Reports said that after submission of evaluation committee’s report Sindh government decided to hire consultants for project’s study. This project was marred by a Rs4.48bn corruption case and such reference was pending before accountability court. The case was earlier pending in the court of the special judge anti-corruption (provincial) as three separate cases were lodged about it in Thatta and Jamshoro districts following submission of an inquiry report.

RBOD-II project has been hit by cost overruns ever-since it was started in 2001 during Gen Pervez Musharraf regime. It was approved at a cost of Rs14bn, the project remained incomplete even after back to back upward cost revisions. It was to be completed in Jan 2006 and the deadline was extended to Dec 2009 first. Since then its completion deadline keep extending. First cost revision was made in 2006 when it was increased from Rs14bn to Rs29.217bn.

The works carried out in project suffered damages in 2010 super floods. Then damages were reported in 2015 when over 0.9m cusecs and 0.6m cusecs of floodwaters passed downstream Kotri barrage. Its cost was revised to Rs61.985bn with approval of Executive Committee of National Economic Council. But again deadline for completion of project in Nov 2019 could not be met.

The drain is to be connected with RBOD-I (Main Nara Valley) through another channel called Indus Link which has been built by Wapda. RBOD-II starts from Deh Karampur in Sehwan, hometown of Sindh chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and would carry wastewater to Gharo creek in coastal Thatta district.

Effluent carrying capacity of the drain has been enhanced. It would now carry 3,500 cusecs effluent from Balochistan and Sindh to Thatta after completion. RBOD-II is a 273km-long drain. Its actual designed capacity was 2,271 cusecs. However, with addition of Balochistan’s effluent, its capacity was enhanced to 3,500 cusecs when Mir Zafarullah Jamali was the premier, who got his province’s effluent component added in it.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2022