Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company refutes claims of breach at reservoir
Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company refutes claim
Sindh government granted the long-awaited lease for a block on the Thar coalfield and extends for 30 years with an option be renew it for a further three decades. PHOTO: FILE
HYDERABAD:
It has been claimed that the Ghorano reservoir, being built for the storage of brackish water pumped out from Tharparkar's coalfield in Islamkot, has reportedly developed a minor breach, due to which water spill has cut off the road link to around a dozen villages. However, this claim made by some local villagers has been refuted by the Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) spokesperson, Mohsin Babbar.
Dost Ali and Malook Meghwadh, who have been leading a protest against the construction of the reservoir for over a year, told the local media that a road connecting their villages had been washed away. They further claimed that 12 to 15 villages had been cut off from Islamkot taluka due to the breach in reservoir while their cultivated lands and pastures have been submerged.
Citing environmental concerns, Lakho Bheel, Suleman Jurio and others filed a petition in the Sindh High Court in June 2016, praying the court to order the project's termination and its relocation to some other site. The case is still being heard in the court. The petitioners had claimed that thousands of human beings and livestock would be affected by the construction of reservoir. "Our concerns are now materialising," said Meghwadh.
Kiran Sadhwani is the first Thari female engineer at Thar Coal Project
However, the SECMC's spokesperson denied that any breach had occurred at any location in the reservoir, which is spread over 1,500 acres. He told The Express Tribune that a road which crossed from middle of the reservoir was 'disturbed' for few hours because of a repair work at a piped culvert. According to Babbar, the work was scheduled to last a day but it is taking two days and will be completed by Monday.
The spokesperson added that a bypass has been provided for the movement of traffic. "Absolutely no loss [to crops or land] at all has been suffered by the area's residents," he claimed.
It has been claimed that the Ghorano reservoir, being built for the storage of brackish water pumped out from Tharparkar's coalfield in Islamkot, has reportedly developed a minor breach, due to which water spill has cut off the road link to around a dozen villages. However, this claim made by some local villagers has been refuted by the Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) spokesperson, Mohsin Babbar.
Dost Ali and Malook Meghwadh, who have been leading a protest against the construction of the reservoir for over a year, told the local media that a road connecting their villages had been washed away. They further claimed that 12 to 15 villages had been cut off from Islamkot taluka due to the breach in reservoir while their cultivated lands and pastures have been submerged.
Citing environmental concerns, Lakho Bheel, Suleman Jurio and others filed a petition in the Sindh High Court in June 2016, praying the court to order the project's termination and its relocation to some other site. The case is still being heard in the court. The petitioners had claimed that thousands of human beings and livestock would be affected by the construction of reservoir. "Our concerns are now materialising," said Meghwadh.
Kiran Sadhwani is the first Thari female engineer at Thar Coal Project
However, the SECMC's spokesperson denied that any breach had occurred at any location in the reservoir, which is spread over 1,500 acres. He told The Express Tribune that a road which crossed from middle of the reservoir was 'disturbed' for few hours because of a repair work at a piped culvert. According to Babbar, the work was scheduled to last a day but it is taking two days and will be completed by Monday.
The spokesperson added that a bypass has been provided for the movement of traffic. "Absolutely no loss [to crops or land] at all has been suffered by the area's residents," he claimed.