Daily Times

Pakistan, as a whole, boasts a rich and diverse cultural heritage, and multiple creative and artistic traditions. While talking about province of Sindh and mainly Sukkur which is famous for its mesmerising spots, such as Lansdowne Bridge, Sukkur Barrage, Ghanta Ghar, Sadhu Belo, Tomb of Seven Sisters, Masoom Shah Jo Minaro, Arore, Lab-e-Mehran, Muhammad Bin Qasim Park, Bukkur Island, Adam Shah’s Tomb and plenty of other historical informative spots can be seen throughout the trip of Sukkur.

I want to shed light on the Sukkur Barrage, which is located on Indus River near the city of Sukkur in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The construction of the barrage started in 1923 with the approval of the then governor of Bombay Sir George Ambrose Lloyd after whom this barrage was named ‘Lloyd Barrage’. Sir Arnold Albert Musto was the architect and engineer of the Sukkur Barrage. This barrage irrigates from Sukkur District in the North to Mirpurkhas / Tharparkar and Hyderabad districts in the South of Sindh, almost all parts of the province.

Interestingly, very few of us are aware about the Lloyd Barrage Museum, which is a historical and very informative Museum, located at Lloyd Barrage Road, Sindh. This place holds historic significance which is why whoever vists the barrage does not miss visiting the museum. Recently, I had a change to visit Sukkur Barrage Museum and viewing its newly constructed photo gallery, which allows visitors to experience a guided tour through the history of its step-by-step-construction. Among small models, a big and beautiful model of Sukkur Barrage is illuminated with spotlights. Basically, this museum has aimed to represent the information about making the Museum behind the efforts among visitors in a very professional way such as Crush Stone, Portland Cement, Gravel, models of its Arches, Stone, Gates, Piers, and also can see photos of Sir George Ambrose Lloyd, Sir Arnold Albert Musto and gradually present step by step knowledge about Lloyd Barrage making and its canals in a very conventional way.

One can see equipments and machinery used for the construction of the Sukkur barrage outside this museum, which include a heavy-duty crane, a boat, a small road roller and a lathe machine for cutting and designing nuts and bolts

Moreover, one can see equipments and machinery used for the construction of the Sukkur barrage outside this museum, which include a heavy-duty crane, a boat, a small road roller and a lathe machine for cutting and designing nuts and bolts. The museum has been established to educate the people that how this masterpiece has been constructed by British engineers. A number of people visits this amazing place on a daily basis, which remains open between 9 AM and 5 PM. Importantly young kids of different schools visit this place to learn about the history and social and cultural development.

We have to admit that the British left an influential mark in language, public administration, education, architecture, communication, political system and culture of the lands, which Pakistan inherited. These marks are the British heritage of Pakistan, which is traced, in deep life cycles of common man’s life in Pakistan. The 200 years of British rule that radically reshaped the superstructure of the country can clearly be seen in average life in Pakistan today. Pakistan’s historic archaeological sites should be preserved and promoted by doing this we can show our softer image to the world.

After independence, Pakistan adopted seven museums in Lahore and Peshawar. But the development of museums in the country has been spectacular and the last decades have seen quite a few museums being established and many others reorganised on modern lines. This is a good step taken by the government which needs to be appreciated.

The writer is a social and political activist based in Lahore. He has done his Maters and MPhil in Communication Studies. He can be reached at salmanali088@gmail.com, tweets at Salmani_salu

Published in Daily Times, March 4^th 2018.