HYDERABAD, May 1: Due to delay in convening a meeting of the committee which will decide the time and quality of release of the Manchhar Lake water into the River Indus, the situation is fast becoming untenable because the water level at the Kotri Barrage is decreasing.

The chief engineer of the Kotri Barrage told NGOs and media representatives on the spot where the lake water was to be released into the Indus had a flow of around 21,000 cusecs of water.

However, the control room at the Kotri Barrage told Dawn on Sunday that the water level at the Kotri Barrage upstream was 11,103 cusecs and 4,811 cusecs at downstream.

The barrage official had further informed that flow of water from the Sukkur Barrage downstream would be increased by 6,000 cusecs as off-taking canals of the barrage would be closed.

However, even if the 6,000 cusecs of water reached the Kotri Barrage, the negative impact of the Manchhar Lake contaminated water of 1,500 cusecs per day could not be neutralized.

It may be mentioned here that the director of the M. A. Kazi Institute of Chemistry, University of Sindh, Prof (Dr) M.Y. Khuhawar, in his analysis had made it clear that water samples collected from the Manchhar Lake indicated high amount of dissolved solids (TDS) within the range of 5,600 to 5,670mgl.

He had advised that the Manchhar water should be diluted at least 1:30 with the Indus water to keep the water of the river within safe limits of 500mgl as prescribed by the WHO.

The committee constituted by the irrigation department, comprising DCOs of Jamshoro and Dadu and some other officials, is yet to hold its meeting to take a final decision about the date and quantum of the lake water which was to be released into the river.

Meanwhile, the assistant engineer of the flood protection bund of the Manchhar Lake, Habibullah Kabooro, told Dawn on telephone that water level at the Manchhar Lake was 109RL. The dangerous level is 117RL but as embankments of the lake have become weak, the irrigation department has taken a tentative decision to release 4 feet water of the lake into the Indus.

The Sindh Chamber of Agriculture at an urgent meeting held here on Sunday under the chairmanship of Syed Qamar Zaman Shah demanded that the Sindh government should not release poisonous water of the lake into the Indus.

It feared that if the poisonous water was released, its consumption could lead to loss of many human lives.

The meeting observed that water level at the Kotri Barrage had receded and if 1,000 cusecs water of the Manchhar Lake was released, it would prove very dangerous for human lives.