Flood alert: Medium flood to pass through Sindh barrages in three days

Due to rising water level in Indus, some part of the katcha [riverine] area has been affected.

SUKKUR: A medium flood carrying 500,000 cusecs of water is expected to pass through the barrages of Sindh on July 25, keeping in view the forecasts of the flood forecasting division and meteorological office.

The incharge of the Sukkur barrage control room, Abdul Aziz Soomro, told The Express Tribune that at Guddu barrage, the upstream was 353,065 cusecs and downstream was 324,340 cusecs while at Sukkur barrage, the upstream was 283,212 cusecs and downstream was 227,582 cusecs. He further said that the upstream at Kotri barrage was 78,792 cusecs and 38,097 cusecs water was being released in its downstream.

Meanwhile, due to the rising water level in Indus, some portion of the katcha [riverine] area has been affected. However, most of the area is still safe and the residents are not considering evacuating their homes. The Sindh irrigation secretary has ordered cancellation of leaves of the staff to cope up with any emergency. Reports from Kandhkot-Kashmore, Jacobabad, Ghotki and other areas suggest that so far, the situation is under control and, as forecasted by the irrigation department, medium flood carrying around 500,000 cusecs of water will pass through all three barrages of Sindh without causing any harm.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Sukkur barrage chief engineer Wali Mohammad Naich said that medium floods, instead of causing any harm to the residents of the katcha, prove helpful for them as the flood carries various sediments and minerals that revive the land. He said that all the protective embankments are intact and work on Ulra Jagir bund is in progress.

Meanwhile, Sukkur commissioner Muhammad Abbas Baloch claims that all arrangements have been made to brave any kind of emergency. Talking to the media at Sukkur barrage executive engineer's office on Tuesday evening, he admitted that there are many vulnerable points. "Among them, the most vulnerable is Machko bund situated in Rahim Yar Khan district. We are closely watching it as it is in our bordering area." Others, he said, are the Qadirpur loop bund in Ghotki district and Ulra Jagir bund in Khairpur district.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 22^nd, 2015.