Comprehensive Plan Being Implemented To Store Water During High Flow Season

ISLAMABAD, (Muzaffargarh.City – 13th Nov, 2017 ) :Ministry of Water Resources, continuously striving for managing water resources and conservation has prepared a comprehensive plan to store water during high flow season and utilize the same during lean season.

The concerned Ministry is presently sponsoring two drainage projects and has also completed some projects under water resources management and conservation initiative. Giving details of the completed projects during last few years, official sources on Monday said these included Mangla Dam Raising (2.88 MAF), Gomal Zam Dam (0.892 MAF), Satpara Dam (0.053 MAF), Darawat Dam (0.089 MAF), Sabakzai Dam (0.0327 MAF) and Mirani Dam (0.302 MAF) to store water while Diamar Basha Dam (6.4 MAF) and Nai Gaj Dam (0.16 MAF) are under implementation phase.

The sources said Shyok Dam (5.5 MAF) and Chiniot Dam (1.0 MAF) are also being planned for regulated water supply as per future requirement. Under drainage programmes, the sources said Ministry of Water Resources is presently sponsoring two drainage projects and these include RBOD-I Project which was started to provide disposal of agricultural effluent of existing and proposed local drainage units including rehabilitation of existing drainage network and to improve environmental conditions in Manchar & Hamal Lakes.

The project will also increase agriculture production in an area of 1.28 million acres of district Larkana, Kamber-Shadadkot, Dadu & Jamshoro districts of Sindh provinces. The second revised PC-I, amounting to Rs.

17,505.018 million has been approved by Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) on July 26, 2017. The up-to-date progress of the project is 75 per cent. The project is RBOD-II which is partly located in district Dadu, Jamshoro and Thatta of Sindh province.

The alignment of RBOD-II project generally run along right side of river Indus and lies between river Indus and Khirther hill range. This drain will be carrying 3525 cusecs of saline effluent coming from RBOD-I/Indus Link and dispose it off into Sea in an environmentally safe manner to avoid pollution of Manchar Lake.

Physical progress of the project is 72 per cent. The RBOD-III project was launched few years back to provide disposal facilities for existing and proposed drainage project components of Balochistan and Sindh provinces.

The project will increase agriculture production and improve environmental conditions in area of 0.678 million acres of Nasirabad, Jaffarabad districts of Balochistan, Jacobabad and Kamber-Shadadkot districts of Sindh province.

The first revised PC-I, amounting to Rs. 10,804.54 million has been approved by ECNEC July 26, 2017. The up-to-date progress of the project is 63 per cent. Similarly, the sources said under lining of canals initiative, present government has completed phase-I (Part-A) of Kachhi Canal to irrigate 72,000 acres of land in Balochistan whereas lining of Muzaffargarh Canal is under progress.

Kachhi Canal off-takes from Taunsa Barrage and total length of Canal is 500 km out of which 391 km is concrete lined. The total command area of the project is 713,000 acres. First Phase of Kachhi Canal project from RD 0+000 to RD 1193 (364 km) has been completed.

It was inaugurated by Prime Minister at Sui, Dera Bugti on September 14, 2017. Dera Bugti, Nasirabad, Bolan, Jhal Magsi districts of Balochistan will benefit. The other project is Muzaffargarh Canal which is located in Tehsil Kot Addu, Punjab.

The total lined length of Canal will be 63 km and 35 per cent of total command area of Muzaffargarh Canal will be rehabilitated and 0.3 million acres land of Kot Addu will be brought back for cultivation.

The up-to-date progress of the project is 31.27 per cent. Another project Rainee Canal off-take from side of Guddu Barrage and flows in Ghotki, Khairpur and Sukkur district in Sindh. The phase-I of the project, comprising 110 km has been completed since June 2014. Command area of phase-I of the Canal is 1,13,690 acres.