Sindh modernises water channels

World Bank-funded project will stop water theft, improve supply to farmers

KARACHI:

The long crest weirs (LCWs) of three water distributaries out of a total 15 distributaries are being modernised for the first time in Sindh aimed at stopping water theft, improving water velocity and bolstering the agricultural economy under the World Bank-funded Sindh Water and Agriculture Transformation (SWAT) project.

“We will modernise 15 distributaries but right now we are going to build the long crest weirs of three as a pilot project to regulate water supplies and improve water velocity for tail-end farmers as water cannot be managed without measuring,” Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (Sida) Managing Director Pretam Das said while talking to The Express Tribune.

“The long crest weirs will keep water level at the watercourse entrance constant. They (LCWs) will be constructed depending on the areas of distributaries. Then we will get the input of growers and expand them to the rest of the canals,” he said.

The MD pointed out that Sida’s canal modernisation project was worth $15 million while simultaneously the Sindh agriculture department was running another project worth $15 million to facilitate farmers with smart subsidised seeds, modern equipment and techniques in the stipulated command areas of canals.

He said that SWAT contained six different components being worked out by Sida, the Sindh agriculture department and the Project Coordinating and Monitoring Unit.

“Sida has one out of the six components and this component consists of four sub-components including the rehabilitation of Akram Wah (canal), canal modernisation, right bank canal study and up-gradation of area water board.”

Three area water boards which come under Sida include Ghotki Feeder Canal Area Water Board, Nara Canal Area Water Board and Left Bank Canal Area Water Board where Sida has singled out three distributaries from each area water board in the initial stage.

Officials said that growers had been pressing the government for a long time to ensure a fair water share and velocity and the system was being introduced to facilitate the growers and fix water issues.

Read WB offers to upgrade Sindh irrigation system

They said that irrigation staff would have to maintain water level through the LCW system and if somebody tried to steal the running water, the entire system would be disturbed.

“In the olden days, the head gauge and tail gauge were installed to regulate water and there was no issue of water supply. Now, both the Sindh Irrigation Department and the autonomous body, Sida, are unable to address water-related issues and tail-end farmers are always protesting against the acute shortage of water,” said Sindh Abadgar Board President Syed Mehmood Nawaz Shah.

“What’s more, this augurs well that Sida is introducing an efficient and modern water system as a pilot project. We should focus on research and development, the system might improve water velocity but there will be no relief from water theft because of poor governance in Sindh where it is quite grueling to stop theft. If there is good governance here, the existing system can work efficiently,” he said.

Shah said that Punjab had better water uptake and mechanised gates (structures), but there was a disappointing system in Sindh.

Meanwhile, 90% of the canal modernisation project is funded by the World Bank and the remaining 10% bankrolled by the Sindh government.

The SWAT project worth $310 million, which was launched in January this year and will last for six years, is aimed at modernising irrigation practices, transition to smart subsidies, community-driven development, enhancing agricultural water productivity, promoting integrated water resources management, facilitating agricultural policy reforms, addressing water-related environmental degradation and others.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 19^th, 2023.

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