HYDERABAD, Aug 7: The Manchhar Lake Water Release Committee has decided to release 1.5 per cent water of the lake into the Indus river to ease pressure on its embankments.

At a meeting held here on Monday, irrigation authorities said that embankments of the lake were under pressure due to heavy rainfall in its catchments area and inflow of water from the Khirthar mountain.

Hyderabad District Nazim Kanwar Naveed Jamil presided over the meeting.

The meeting was told that the release of water into the Indus river was inevitable to prevent any breaches.

The meeting decided that after release of water from the lake, quality of Indus’ water would be checked at several places after every four hours to ensure that safe water was being provided to people.

It was also decided that if the quality of water was found substandard, then the quantity of water released from the lake would be reduced or totally stopped as the exigencies demanded.

The nazim directed Wasa officials to store water in its reservoirs within the next 48 hours which could last for three days before any water was released downstream Kotri.

He asked them to keep water pumps and generators functional to ensure uninterrupted water supply to people.

Mr Jamil recalled that situation was not as grave as it was in 2004, when the release of water from the Manchhar lake had proved extremely detrimental.

He said that sufficient water was being released from the Sukkur barrage whereas in 2004, only few thousand cusecs water was available in the Indus river.

He said that it had been decided to release only 2,000 cusecs water from the Manchhar lake if 10,000 cusecs water was released from the Sukkur barrage.

He said that the decision had been taken in view of a report of experts which had been despatched by the Hyderabad district government to the Manchhar lake.

The chief engineer of Sukkur barrage (right bank), Atta Mohammad Soomro said that following rains and mountainous water, Nai Gaj water was increasing by three feet daily.

As a result, the water level at the Manchhar lake had increased to 110 feet.

He said that this was only two feet less than the dangerous point of 112 feet.

He said that it had become inevitable to release water from the Manchhar lake into the Indus river to protect the lake.

He said that after few days, it would not be possible to release any water from the Manchhar lake due to flood in the Indus river.

Kotri barrage chief engineer Manzoor Shaikh told the meeting that within the next 4 to 5 days, the water level at the Sukkur barrage was likely to exceed 600,000 cusecs and it has become necessary to release water from the Manchhar lake immediately.

District government’s water technologist Dr Ahsan Siddiqui told the meeting that according to the analysis, the quality of Manchhar lake water was more inferior that it was in 2004.

He said that the discharge of only 1.5 per cent was considered safe.