KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has approved Rs 502 million to the Irrigation Department to meet the repair and replacement costs of the damaged gates of Sukkur Dam.
The CM approved the funds during a meeting here at the CM House. Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro, Secretary to CM Raheem Shaikh, Irrigation Minister Zarif Khero and other officials attended the meeting.
The Chief Minister was informed that the emergency works would cost Rs 502 million. The Irrigation Department was already running at a deficit as the allocated funds were much less than the benchmark requirement.
Irrigation Minister Khero, in his briefing to the conference, said that damage was found in gates No. 44 and 47 of Sukkur Dam on June 20. A preliminary assessment revealed that gate No. 44 was bent but remained fully intact (geometry) while gate No. 47 was significantly damaged.
To prevent further damage and to enable emergency repair of the gates, all gates of Sukkur Dam were fully opened to evacuate the pond upstream.
As a result, water supply to all canals branching off from the left and right sides of the Sukkur dam, such as Nara, Rohri, Khairpur East, Khairpur West, Northern Dadu, Rice and NW Canal, has been reduced until the sluice gates are restored on an emergency basis.
After working day and night, the engineers of the Irrigation Department rebuilt the Sukkur Dam pond and restored its water level on June 26, two days ahead of schedule. They also restored water supply to the irrigation canals branching off the Sukkur Dam.
The Prime Minister praised the efforts and hard work of Mr. Shoro, Secretary Khero and their engineering team.
Mr. Shoro thanked the Prime Minister for his appreciation and stressed that Sindh had been spared from significant financial losses and the resulting unrest.
The Irrigation Minister informed the Prime Minister that Gate No. 44 had been manufactured and brought to Sukkur where it had been installed in the Mechanical Workshop.
The CM was informed through a picture presentation that the replacement of Gate No. 44 was considered risky due to the flood season and was stopped. The deflection of the gate was monitored and no increase in deflection was observed since June 20. Therefore, experts had recommended additional strengthening work on the gate to temporarily withstand the flood season, secure the gate and prevent further structural movements.
Additional C-channels, H-beams (horizontal and vertical) and lugs were installed. Corroded and damaged parts of the gates were repaired using modern welding techniques.
The CM was also informed that two gates had been replaced and manufactured at Karachi Shipyard. Logistics – materials, jumbo bags, roller shutters, machinery and manpower – were provided including labourers, technical divers and welders. MS plates, oxygen cylinders, cranes and other materials were procured for construction of a Buddha along the damaged Gate No. 47, activation of second old caisson gate, demolition of old Gate No. 7 of Sukkur Dam, required repair work of Gate No. 44 and urgent strengthening of other gates (Nos. 24 to 59) of Sukkur Dam.
The machinery for the caisson gate was provided by the Mechanical Wing. The construction of the cofferdam and movement of the caisson gate at Sukkur Dam was carried out by Bahria Dredging Company Ltd. (BDCL).
LG Minister inspects Korangi Causeway
A bridge under construction over the Korangi Causeway is expected to be opened to traffic on January 1, 2025, said Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani.
The minister told reporters after inspecting the construction work on the bridge over the dam on Saturday.
The authorities describe the project as one of the biggest development projects in Karachi. Project manager Tariq Mughal informed the minister about the construction plan.
The work would be carried out day and night, the minister said.
He said the construction work would be completed by early next year, which would be a great gift from the Sindh government to the people of Karachi.
He said the Sindh government had spent “billions of rupees” to undertake massive construction work across Sindh, including Karachi, under the vision of Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
Published in Dawn, 26 August 2024
