8 breaches yet to be repaired
Indus River Commission has approved a Rs200m plan to move earthwork on dykes.
SUKKUR:
Eight breaches, which had developed since August 7 in Old and New Tori, Ghouspur, Haibat, Ghoraghat and Begari Sindh Feeder dykes, have yet to be fixed.
Guddu Barrage superintendent engineer Farooq Ahmed Channar told The Express Tribune that a meeting of the Indus River Commission (IRC) was held on October 14, in which proposals on the repairs of all affected dykes were presented. A proposal on carrying earthwork on the dykes has been approved by the IRC and will now be submitted to the federal government for the final approval and release of funds, he added.
Meanwhile, the temporary embankment that was built by Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) from Old Tori to Ghoraghat dyke to stop the water flow from Tori has now lost its importance because the water has receded.
The government spent around Rs200 million to build this temporary dyke with stone pitching, a few metres away from the original Tori dyke. It managed to stop the water flow but not before wreaking havoc across upper Sindh.
Following the country’s worst floods, Tori and other dykes gave in to tremendous pressure on August 7 and rendered millions of people homeless. Twenty days after disaster struck, the construction of the temporary dyke was complete. But residents of Hamid Malik, Durrani Mahar, Sain Rakhio Mirani, Qayas Bhayo, Jhangal Bhayo, Ghulam Rasool Bhayo, Saifal Mirani and other villages were forced to move into relief camps.
Old and New Tori dyke, Ghouspur dyke, Haibat dyke, Ghoraghat dyke and Begari Sindh Feeder dyke developed at least eight breaches, which are almost four kilometres long. Since the water has receded considerably, the government is expected to start repairing these embankments, which officials said, will require millions of rupees in funds.
Channar explained that the temporary embankment at Tori is made of stone and it will not work properly for long because water will seep through the stone pitching. Only earthwork can hold the dyke properly, he said. A total of Rs200 million are needed to complete all the repairs, which are likely to start within a month, he added.
Since breaches in Tori bund sparked debates, the Sindh government constituted a judicial commission, comprising Justice (retired) Ghulam Nabi Soomro and Justice (retired) Zahid Qurban Alvi to probe into the allegations. Members of the judicial commission visited all the affected areas and recorded statements of the people, officers from the irrigation and administration departments and the FWO.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 23rd, 2010.
Eight breaches, which had developed since August 7 in Old and New Tori, Ghouspur, Haibat, Ghoraghat and Begari Sindh Feeder dykes, have yet to be fixed.
Guddu Barrage superintendent engineer Farooq Ahmed Channar told The Express Tribune that a meeting of the Indus River Commission (IRC) was held on October 14, in which proposals on the repairs of all affected dykes were presented. A proposal on carrying earthwork on the dykes has been approved by the IRC and will now be submitted to the federal government for the final approval and release of funds, he added.
Meanwhile, the temporary embankment that was built by Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) from Old Tori to Ghoraghat dyke to stop the water flow from Tori has now lost its importance because the water has receded.
The government spent around Rs200 million to build this temporary dyke with stone pitching, a few metres away from the original Tori dyke. It managed to stop the water flow but not before wreaking havoc across upper Sindh.
Following the country’s worst floods, Tori and other dykes gave in to tremendous pressure on August 7 and rendered millions of people homeless. Twenty days after disaster struck, the construction of the temporary dyke was complete. But residents of Hamid Malik, Durrani Mahar, Sain Rakhio Mirani, Qayas Bhayo, Jhangal Bhayo, Ghulam Rasool Bhayo, Saifal Mirani and other villages were forced to move into relief camps.
Old and New Tori dyke, Ghouspur dyke, Haibat dyke, Ghoraghat dyke and Begari Sindh Feeder dyke developed at least eight breaches, which are almost four kilometres long. Since the water has receded considerably, the government is expected to start repairing these embankments, which officials said, will require millions of rupees in funds.
Channar explained that the temporary embankment at Tori is made of stone and it will not work properly for long because water will seep through the stone pitching. Only earthwork can hold the dyke properly, he said. A total of Rs200 million are needed to complete all the repairs, which are likely to start within a month, he added.
Since breaches in Tori bund sparked debates, the Sindh government constituted a judicial commission, comprising Justice (retired) Ghulam Nabi Soomro and Justice (retired) Zahid Qurban Alvi to probe into the allegations. Members of the judicial commission visited all the affected areas and recorded statements of the people, officers from the irrigation and administration departments and the FWO.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 23rd, 2010.