Daily Times

KARACHI: Despite spending huge funds since the super and medium floods, the canals and dykes at River Indus are still vulnerable and damaged at different parts in the province.

According to details, the damaged embankments of River Indus could not be repaired properly posing a big threat before the upcoming monsoon season.

According to the reports, three schemes worth Rs 838 million are still in doldrums after super flood in 2010 and medium in 2015 hit several areas including T-head spur, 0/4 mole spur, 0/7 mole spur at Akil Aghani dyke, Moria Loop bund, LS bund, Nusrat Loop bund, Abad bund and Ruk bund.

Sources disclosed that no proper work was carried out to make the embankment strengthened, exposung the incompetence of the department concerned.

Sources disclosed that during the last six years, heavy floods had damaged the several protective embankments, as Irrigation Department had declared them most sensitive, but the authorities concerned paid no heed towards the sensitive issue and failed to find the permanent solution to repair the damaged dykes.

In 2010, the Tori bund breach inundated, Jacobabad, Kashmore, Kandhkot, Garhi Khero, Shikarpur and other parts of province. Likewise, once a year, the medium range floods hit embankments of River Indus at right bank and posed serious threats to Larkana, Shikarpur, Kashmore Kandh kot, Dadu and other parts of province.

Irrigation Department officials, requesting anonymity, said that the department had spent Rs 6.844 billion in 2015-16, Rs 10.40 billion in 2014-15, Rs 9.24 billion in 2013-14, Rs 8.2 billion in 2012-13, Rs 8.79 billion in 2011-12 and Rs 12.88 billion in 2010-11, but unfortunately, the embankments no “satisfactory measures were adopted to strengthen the embankments”. Sub-engineer of Northern Dadu Larkana division, Nadeem Imtiaz Jaferi, told that Irrigation Department had floated three schemes for approval by Federal Flood Commission and PDWP to execute the work at Moria Loop bund mile 0/0 to 1/0, Akil Aghani loop bund and LS Bund Hakra point Sub-division Dokri. Once approved, he said work on these bunds would be initiated.

Sources said that the higher authorities are confident that there are no threat of floods and all the embankments of River Indus and its dykes are intact, however, they added that comprehensive flood fighting plan has been devised to deal with any flood situation, and all the concerned staff is ready to face any alarming situation.

Talking to Daily Times, and official of the Irrigation Department said that the work is being monitored by teams of Asian Bank and there is no evidence of substandard work on these embankments.

Several attempts were made to contact Sindh Irrigation Department Secretary Syed Zaheer Hyder Shah for his views about the pace of development and funds utilisation, but he did not attend phone calls. The citizens, growers, and representatives of civil society have appealed to the federal government and provincial governments to take precautionary measures during flood and start early work of repairing and strengthening of dykes.