THATTA: In the wake of the recent damage caused by floodwater to the Right Bank Outfall Drain resulting in the inundation of thousands of acres of farmlands, besides many villages, in Thatta district, a special team of experts from the irrigation and environment sectors visited four sites of the drain on Thursday to assess the damage and recommend remedial measures.

The visit was paid on the instructions of Federal Minister for Planning Commission Ahsan Iqbal, who directed the team to also study the reports prepared by critics of the RBOD and incorporate their recommendations in its report.

Following the recent torrential rains across the country and release of floodwater by India, the Indus River flow had risen to high-flood level over the past weeks and overtopped its embankments at numerous points in Sindh causing flooding in the katcha and low-laying areas of the province.

While passing through the RBOD — the only major drain meant to facilitate safe passage of rainwater and floodwater -- floodwater had washed away its dykes at four points, Sonda, Hillaya, Chillya and Ali Bahar in Thatta district. The drain also serves as a source for increasing agriculture produce in an area of 542,500 acres in various districts.

Briefing the team of experts, RBOD consultant retired Major Sami said the drain was supposed to help ensure that hazardous effluents did not make their way into the drinking water reservoirs — Manchhar and Hamal lakes — in this district. The drain carried such effluents into the Arabian Ocean, he added.

He told the team that the project was planned to be completed by 2007 but was still incomplete eight years on owing to non-release of the allocated funds.

“The project has already consumed around Rs35 billion and almost an equal amount is required to complete the project,” said Major Sami.

Commenting on the damage caused to the RBOD dykes in Thatta, he said the Indus had unexpectedly changed its course over the past few years and come very close to the drain route. At the time when the project had been designed, the distance between the river’s course and RBOD route was more than two kilometres but it had narrowed down significantly over the last couple of years,” he said. Floodwater overtopping the Indus embankment hit the drain dykes with full pressure when the river happened to be in high-flood, he added.

Chaudhry Shahid, who led the team of experts, informed the RBOD consultant that they had been asked to accomplish their task as soon as possible to enable the federal government take urgent measures in order to save the drain from sustaining further damage. He said that the Centre was likely to release the required funds soon.

He made it clear that there was no plan to change the RBOD design or alignment, rather, the remedial measures would focus on strengthening the drain’s dykes with a view to achieve desired results, including protection of major wetlands and gradually turning the province’s barren lands fertile again.

Other experts including RBOD superintendent engineer Imran Shaikh, executive engineer Alam Rahupoto, project director Aijaz Shaikh, Col Taimoor and Col Suleman also attended the briefing.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2015

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