Flood situation: ‘Mini-dams to help irrigate thousands of acres’

Channels built to direct hill torrents to River Indus

DERA GHAZI KHAN: A team of government officials on Tuesday visited flood-affected areas near River Indus, including Jakhar Imam Shah and Wadoor Torrent (which runs down the hills and into the river).

Punjab Procurement Regulatory Authority (PEPRA) Managing Director Ali Bahadur Qazi said the district administration appeared to be prepared to rescue people from high-risk areas. He said all security arrangements and emergency construction and repair of protective dykes and bunds were complete. “We will not tolerate use of poor quality material in constructing these embankments.”

He lauded the district administration for completing all protective and precautionary constructions on time. Almost 40 per cent of the Irrigation Department’s work on diverting water flow from River Indus to Jakhar Imam Shah was complete, he said. On Tuesday, the water level in River Indus was normal. He said the administration had also completed construction of channels leading water from hill torrents to River Indus.

Qazi said that the provincial government had initiated work on constructing mini-dams. The feasibility study is in the final stages, he said. “The projects will allow the Irrigation Department to store excess rainwater and later use for agricultural purposes.”  The projects would provide water for thousands of acres of crops, he said.

Qazi was accompanied by Additional District Collector Abdul Shakoor and Kot Chutha Assistant Commissioner Abdul Jabbar.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 17^th, 2016.