Centre set up to offer real-time data on canals, lakes

Hydro Information Centre will offer real-time data on the flow of river, gauges of canals and lakes

HYDERABAD:

The Sindh Irrigation Department has set up a Hydro Information Centre to offer real-time data on the flow of river, gauges of canals and lakes as well as the weather reports of all cities of the province. "Until now we had to seek such data from here and there, but from today it will be available with a touch of our finger," said the provincial irrigation minister while inaugurating the centre on Saturday.

Touchscreen monitors have been installed at the centre to access data. Irrigation Department spokesperson Hizbullah Mangrio said that they would also launch a website and a mobile connected with the centre within six months. "The purpose is to digitise data of the Irrigation Department," he said.

According to him, people will be able to check district-wise rainfall readings, river flows at different locations, discharge of canals and saline water drains, and gauges of all the lakes in the province. So far 12 stations have been synchronised with the system to share data about certain locations of the Indus river, some canals and lakes. The department will gradually add more stations, the spokesperson said.

Until now, people as well as media persons depended on the weather, rain and flood data of the Pakistan Meteorological Department. But the PMD's figures were sometimes disputed by the Sindh government with the monsoon rains this year being the latest instance. Now the same data will be provided through the Hydro Information Centre.