HYDERABAD, Sept 27: Farmers and water experts of Sindh have said they will not accept any 'trans-basin integrated drainage development and water management plan' because such big projects have proved to be dangerous for the province's economy, irrigation and ecology.

Speaking at a day long consultation workshop on "Drainage development and water management plan at basin level" on Monday, they observed that such a system should only be based on independent basins. They contended that lessons must be learnt from mistakes of the Left Bank Outfall Drain.

The workshop was jointly organized by the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority, National Drainage Programme (NDP), Water and Power Development Authority and the World Bank at a local hotel. Irrigation secretary Ashfaq Memon was the chief guest on the occasion.

The international panel of experts that attended the workshop was headed by Dr Bart Schultz and included members Jan Hoevenaars, Dr Roel Slootweg, Bert Smedema, Frank van Steenbergen. The local experts' panel comprised Ahmad Khan Bhatti, Shabbir Baig and Mohammad Shafiq.

The experts had presented a draft of the drainage master plan before the stakeholders to seek their opinion after interaction with them and paying field visits so that the plan could be suitably amended and finalized before sending it to the government.

Speaking on the occasion, the drainage adviser of the World Bank, Dr Safwat Abdel Daeym, said the master plan was aimed at preparing a development plan for better drainage and water management system.

He said made it clear that it was not an extension of any out fall drain in Sindh as visualized by audience. Dr Daeym further said a study was being conducted for six basins located in Sindh.

He maintained that the master plan stressed the need for disposal of water in each basin so that the same water could be reused after being recycled. Dr Schultz said the draft had been prepared by Wapda and reviewed by international experts, headed by him, on request of the federal government and the World Bank.

He hoped that a final draft would be distributed by the irrigation department once recommendations of the stakeholders were incorporated into it. About the Kotri drainage basin, he said drainage systems were being rehabilitated under the NDP.

Emphasising the need for integrated basin approach, Dr Schultz said plans should be developed and implemented in consultation with local communities. He said problems of the Kotri drainage basin included poor state of the Kadhan-Padeji Out fall Drain and the tidal link, sea intrusion, coastal erosion, effluent, water shortage, water logging and salinity.

He said it should be ensured that waste water was treated before being refused or disposed of into drains or canals. MNA Fahmida Mirza, former senator Abdul Majeed Qazi, Sindh Chamber of Agriculture chairman Qamaruzzaman Shah, Mahmood Nawaz Shah of the Sindh Abadgar Board, Prof Mushtaq Meerani, Nazeer Memon and others expressed concern about implementation of the plan in its true essence, saying big projects had always affected Sindh badly.

Qamaruzzaman Shah demanded removal of the Sida chairman and said the Doro Poran Outfall Drain should be restored so that water could be disposed of in the Shakoor Lake.

He observed that the double action plan under the LBOD had never worked and sea had been given an opening though growers had informed the then Wapda chairman about their fears. The Sida chairman clarified that the project was not trans- basin or inter-provincial in nature.