SUKKUR, Oct 3: President Gen Pervez Musharraf said on Thursday that the government was determined to build major water projects, including the Right Bank Outfall Drain (RBOD) and the Sehwan barrage.

The president was addressing a large gathering at the ground-breaking ceremony of the multi-purpose Reni Canal at the Guddu Barrage, some 150kms away from Sukkur.

Stressing the need to build major reservoirs, the president accused the previous governments of betraying the people of Sindh on major issues confronting the province.

He warned the people not to be misled by people opposing the construction of major dams, saying they were enemies of the Sind province.

Gen Musharraf said that being a friend of Sindh he would never betray the interests of the province.

Terming construction of major water reservoirs vital to the future needs of the country as well as Sindh, he said previous governments had paid only lip service and failed to foresee the country’s irrigation needs.

He said that the government was now building new dams in Punjab, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the NWFP, which would ultimately benefit Sindh.

The ceremony was attended by a large number of growers, agriculturists, Nazims, people from Ghotki, Jacobabad, Larkana, Shikarpur and Sukkur districts.

Listing mega projects, like the RBOD, Sehwan Barrage, Thar coal project and Reni Canal, under Wapda’s Vision-2025, he said the government was endeavouring to improve Sindh’s water supply system for the benefit of its agricultural sector.

Highlighting the government’s endeavours regarding the revival of national economy, poverty alleviation and other development projects, President Musharraf said he would inaugurate the Chotiari dam soon. He said this project would help meet irrigation needs of Dadu district.

The Rs16 billion RBOD project, he said, would help improve the environmental problems afflicting the Manchar Lake besides helping the local fishermen earn their livelihood.

The president added that seven off-take canals will be built from the proposed Sehwan barrage.

Saying that the progress of the province and the country was inseparable, the President declared: “The progress and prosperity of Sindh would mean the progress and prosperity of Pakistan.”

Expressing his confidence regarding successful exploitation of Thar coal for the benefit of the province, he said the area would soon be developed.

He said China had shown interest in developing the Thar Coal project and 150 Chinese experts were engaged in the coal exploration project.

The president said that the government would also undertake the project to raise the level of Mangla Dam by 30 feet, adding that the country badly needed more water storage capacity.

He said that both the Mangla Dam Raising Project and the Reni Canal Project would be completed almost simultaneously and the increased storage capacity in Mangla Dam would have a positive impact on water flow in Reni Canal, which has a discharge capacity of 5,155 cusecs.

Enumerating factors affecting the economy of the Sindh province, the president said lack of underground water resources and aridity had rendered Sindh’s lands barren.

He said that the Water and Power Development Authority had undertaken massive projects to improve Sindh’s water supply in canals, which, according to him, would change the province’s socio-economic scenario.

Earlier, Sindh Governor Mohammedmian Soomro briefed the president about the project of Reni Canal.