‘Water levels may rise after heavy monsoon’

High flood expected to reach Sukkur Barrage in next 24 hours

SUKKUR: A high flood, carrying 510,000 cusecs of water, was expected to pass through Guddu barrage late Saturday night, which might further rise to 525,000 cusecs within the next 24 hours. After that, water level will start to recede. However, with the fresh spell of rains expected to start on Monday, water level in the rivers of Sindh might rise depending on the monsoon's intensity.

Sukkur barrage chief engineer Wali Mohammad Naich said that after the passage of the high flood, the water level at Guddu barrage is expected to start receding and there will be no flood for the next 10 to 12 days. "According to the forecast of the meteorological office, fresh spell of monsoon will take place from coming Monday and will last for five days," he said. "That fresh spell of monsoon might once again raise the water level in the rivers, but it depends upon the intensity of the rains."

According to irrigation officials, water level is constantly rising and it is expected that a high flood carrying 510,000 cusecs of water will pass through Guddu Barrage late Saturday night, which will take 24 hours to reach Sukkur barrage.

Irrigation secretary Zaheer Haider Shah visited Tori and other bunds on Wednesday. "A high flood carrying little more than 500,000 cusecs of water will pass through Guddu barrage without causing any damage," he said.

Meanwhile, reports from Kandhkot-Kashmore suggested that as water has cut off communication of the residents of the katcha area, some families have moved to their relatives residing in nearby towns and cities instead of moving to the relief camps.

In Ghotki, water has entered some of the villages and more than 100 families have been evacuated. In Sukkur, no families have so far moved to the relief camps because, according to the residents, water is still far away from their villages.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th, 2015.