Wrath of the Indus: Strengthening of Shaink Bund under way

SIDA official says stone-pitching to fortify embankment once and for all

SUKKUR: The reinforcement of the Shaink Bund in Ghotki, said to be the first line of defence for the Qadirpur Loop Bund, is under way by dumping stones and mud after the Indus River suddenly began eroding it a couple of weeks ago.

During a recent visit to the bund, the Sindh chief minister expressed anger over irrigation officials' slow pace of repair work in light of the monsoon rains. As a result, strengthening efforts have sped up and senior officers of the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (Sida) have established a camp on site to supervise the work round the clock.

During a visit to the Shaikh Bund, some 15 kilometres away from Ghotki, on Sunday, tractor trollies can be seen continuously dumping stones at the site, which were later being pitched on the embankment accordingly by labourers. Engineers along with surveyors were present on the site to supervise the work. Hakim Ali Chachar, who resides near the Shaink Bund, said the total length of the bund is not more than three kilometres. According to him, the funds allocated earlier to fortify this bund, if spent with honesty, would have strengthened the embankment like steel but most of the money was pocketed by government officials and middle-men.

Sida executive engineer Ameer Bux Bozdar told The Express Tribune that, recently, the 'angry Indus' eroded around 1,200 feet of the bund. According to him, the situation is now under control and they are planning to carry out stone-pitching throughout the length of the embankment to fortify it once and for all. "Besides stone-pitching, the bund's apron will be raised by two and half to three feet," he added.

Bozdar explained that a bund constructed decades ago by the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) in the middle of the river to save their installations has narrowed down the natural waterway of the river, which is why it is putting pressure on the Shaink Bund.

Raees Chachar, who also lives near the bund, said before the construction of the OGDCL bund in 1995, the river used to flow normally along both sides of the katcha area (informal settlement), but now it is forced to flow more towards the left of the katcha due to which the Shaink Bund remains under pressure.

The Shaink Bund was completely destroyed in the 1973 and 2010 'super' floods and therefore it has lost its importance, claimed former Sindh irrigation secretary Idrees Rajput while talking to The Express Tribune.

According to terminology used in the irrigation department, the bund which gives up to water pressure loses its importance and has to be abandoned, he explained.

Local politics

Raees was of the opinion that several katcha residents like him are in favour of dismantling the bund. He admitted that such a course of action would adversely affect over 100 small villages but by doing so the government could save millions of rupees spent every year on its repair. He said most of the villagers living near the Shaink Bund have their homes in Qadirpur and Ghotki and are only living here to look after their crops. The former irrigation secretary said many villages near the Shaink Bund get irrigation water from Dingro Wah, originating from the Ghotki Feeder. These residents are the voters of the ruling party and therefore the Shaink Bund, despite having no strategic importance, is kept intact, claimed an official based in Ghotki.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th, 2016.