ISLAMABAD: A fact-finding team of water experts constituted by the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) has uncovered massive water theft, misreporting and malpractices, with the alleged involvement of irrigation staff, at almost all the measurement stations of Guddu and Sukkur barrages, resulting in up to 30 per cent water losses.

The four-member ‘high-powered discharge observation team’ was constituted to “ascertain excessive water losses” through onsite discharge measurement at Guddu, Sukkur and Kotri barrages.

The team comprising Irsa member from Punjab Rao Irshad Ali, Irsa member from Sindh Mazhar Ali Shah, Irsa operations director Khalid Idrees Rana and a chief engineering adviser’s representative was assisted by the technical staff of Irsa, the provincial irrigation departments, and the water resources ministry through a third party, International Sedimentation Research Institute Pakistan (ISRIP) of Wapda.

Team abandons Kotri discharge measurement due to disagreement over sites selection criterion

In its final report submitted to the government, the team found massive misreporting, wrong measurement, theft and other irregularities in water discharges at almost all the randomly checked 13 measurement stations, a source in the ministry of water resources told Dawn.

The source added that the report also highlighted a very pathetic condition of canal maintenance.

The final report, also seen by Dawn, disclosed that while travelling with Balochistan Chief Engineer Abdul Sattar Lakhti along Desert Pat feeder on July 10, the Irsa members representing Punjab and Sindh noted “there were over 50 pipes (with diameters ranging between four and 10 inches along with electricity transformers and concrete water tanks) installed on the bank of the canal from head to tail at R.D. 38. This clearly indicated extensive water theft in broad daylight even on the main canal which must be checked”.

The team found about 6.25pc underreporting at Ghotki feeder, about 26pc “exorbitant underreporting” at BS feeder, 14.3pc “excessive underreporting at Indus River downstream Guddu and 3.3pc underreporting at Desert Pat feeder canal. As such, there was a total “excessive underreporting” of 14.25pc or about 28,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) along Guddu Barrage from July 9 to 12. Besides, 13pc excessive underreporting was also noted at the Pat feeder canal, affecting Balochistan.

While examining the Sukkur Barrage water flow, a maximum “exorbitant underreporting” of 29.72pc was recorded at Nara Canal. The report said the barrage authority believed the global positioning system could cause error in the measurement. Hence it was proposed by Dr Ali Asghar Mahesar that a rope could be used across the river for discharge measurement.

According to the observers, the barrage authorities ‘wasted’ about 36 hours of the Irsa team in having a discussion with them and then in the installation of a rope across the river before finally agreeing to use the GPS to maintain boat direction. The team observed the barrage authorities adjusted the downstream discharge during those 36 hours. All gate positions were observed showing water flowing over the gates.

The report concluded that it was established that about 27,589cfs (-14.25pc) was found misreported at Guddu Barrage. All the discharge activity was duly signed by all the stakeholders at the site.

It is also established that the Sindh irrigation department “managed to manoeuvre the downstream Sukkur Barrage by wasting the time of about 36 hours to tie the rope across the river which was not possible and during the futile exercise it managed to adjust the discharge as being reported. Almost no difference was found at downstream Sukkur measured and reported discharges. The barrage authorities accordingly signed the discharge measurement sheets.

As per discharge measurement sheets, Nara Canal was drawing 21,486cfs against the reported flow of 15,100cfs (ie less reporting of 6,386 or about 30pc). The Sukkur Barrage authorities refused to sign the discharge measurement sheets, claiming that the current meter was not correct. However, the same current meter was used to measure the discharge downstream Sukkur Barrage that all participants had signed because the difference was negligible.

Due to a disagreement of Irsa’s Sindh member about the methodology for surprise or random selection of sites, the Irsa team decided to cut the visit short and abandon the discharge measurements of Kotri Barrage and canals. Irsa’s Sindh member was of the opinion that before moving ahead the Irsa team should intimate the daily schedule of discharge measurement to the barrage authorities instead of random selection of sites in the morning.

The report also noted that had the PID Sindh reported the correct discharges at Guddu Barrage, the conveyance loss would have been reduced from 21pc to 7pc, which clearly showed that excessive losses were being reported between Taunsa-Guddu reach. Similar position could have been established, if the discharge activities were allowed to be completed at Sukkur and Kotri barrages, the team opined.

The report “strongly recommended that the position of misreporting” should be shared with the top leadership to check this malpractice.

According to the report, a similar malpractice had been pointed out by Irsa in its reports in 2016 and 2018. The team recommended that “extensive water theft, on Desert Pat feeder, must be controlled by the Sindh government within the irrigation system”.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2019