Rise in lake level threatens Sehwan

Published September 21, 2010

DADU, Sept 20 Floodwater on Monday started hitting the ring embankment around Sehwan town, a town of 150,000 souls housing the shrine of Pakistan's most revered saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.

Water level at Manchhar lake has again risen to 120RL due to continuous flow of water into it from Main Nara Valley (MNV) drain and reduction of discharge of water into the river through Aral Wah.

Floodwater is returning to Aral head canal and developing pressure at ring embankment of Sehwan. A large number of people along with irrigation staff were raising the ring embankment of Sehwan.

Farooq Solangi, former nazim of Sehwan-II union council, said that situation was becoming dangerous for Sehwan town as after a cut at Aral head canal regulator, water was hitting the embankment around the town. He said this cut has widened and would pose a serious threat to the town.

He said that the embankment was not strong and would not sustain strong flow of water at the northern side of town.

Engineer Shahbaz division, irrigation department, Zahid Hussain Shaikh, said that the raising of the embankment was going on with heavy machinery. He said that a large number of irrigation staff was deployed at the embankment with required material and situation was under control.

He expressed the hope that water level at Manchhar lake would gradually reduce.

The in-charge of irrigation department's base camp at Manchhar lake, Sher Mohammad, said that water level in the lake again suddenly shot up to 120 RL on Monday, which was earlier receded by two and half feet.

A low quantity of water was flowing into Indus river from Aral canal worsening the situation for the lake and Sehwan town.

The water gushing out of the was flowing into the river from ten cuts at Larkana-Sehwan embankment at Karampur and through Danistar canal but water was returning to the flooded area from Aral canal.

The eight breaches in Manchhar lake embankment and one in MNV drain embankment were not plugged yet.

Water from Manchhar lake was flowing to Indus link canal embankment near Bhan Syedabad and developing pressure at the embankment. Residents of the town and army jawans were dumping bags of mud to raise the embankment.

The water level is 9 to 10 feet high from Sehwan to Bhan Syedabad area.

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