Rehabilitation work of Sukkur Barrage completed in SW Pakistan
Pakistan Times National News Desk

SUKKUR: The rehabilitation project of Sukkur Barrage has finally been completed five days before the deadline of April-30 and a saving of Rs 125 million has also been made from the original federal government allocation of Rs 887 million.

This was announced at a press conference by Commander of the FWO Task Force for Sukkur Barrage Rehabilitation Project, Brigadier Javed Ashraf Bajwa here on Monday.

Flanked by Chief Engineer Sukkur Barrage, Muhammad Nawaz Memon and official Consultant, Noor Muhammad Baloch, Commander Bajwa thanked Almighty Allah that FWO had stood upto the expectations of President Pervez Musharraf who should be credited for saving the Sukkur Barrage.

Quality Control

He said that maximum possible care was taken as regards the quality control and the foolproof filling of the cavities which were discovered at Bay No.1 & 2 of the Barrage inJanuary, 2004.

Sindh government had officially requested the President for handling of the rehabilitation work to Corps of Engineers of Pakistan Army, after which the work was started from Ruk Complex on November-25, 2004.

Brigadier Bajwa said that due to its emergency nature which could have posed a very serious threat to Barrage's structure, the army accepted it as a challenge and thanked God Almighty for enabling them to accomplish it five days before the 30th April deadline.

He said, it was a very sensitive, specialized and challenging mission, and said that no foreign expertise was involved in the over all work.

He said, as per the Consultant's guidelines, the work was done in three phases, in many cases it was achieved ahead of the scheduled time and according to the quality control and design provided by the Consultant.

He was confident that if proper maintenance and repairs are done by the irrigation department on annual basis, Sukkur Barrage's life would be extended for another 70 years, and he also saw no threat whatsoever to its structure.

Brigadier Bajwa said, intensive soil survey of the foundation of the right pocket of the Barrage was done by the army engineers below 30 feet and highly sophisticated and scientific technology was used to make the exercise foolproof.

Wherever the density showed some slackness, he said, maximum care was taken for its proper treatment, including sheet piling which was done upto 20 feet depth.

He paid rich tributes to the local HESCO authorities for providing them required power paraphernalia at the basement area of the barrage, which enabled them to complete the work.

Dadu Canal

Moreover, for ensuring uninterrupted water supply to Dadu Canal area, a temporary link was created at Ruk Headworks near Garhi Yaseen, for facilitating the water flow from Rice Canal, Brigadier Bajwa said.

All the old sheet piles which had been damaged in the Bay No.1 & 2 area of Dadu Canal, were replaced with 600 Belgium-made sheet piles, he said.

He said that the army engineers and the FWO had lived upto their reputation, and further remarked that due to high quality of their work and professional expertise, the Sukkur Barrage has been strengthened and its life prolonged.

Brigadier Bajwa hoped that Sukkur Barrage, which was a vital irrigation project of Sindh, will stand for a long time in future to meet the agriculture and economic needs of this area.

He said that the army engineers have used latest and indigenous technology in the rehabilitation work, and no foreign expertise of foreign aid was used in the work.

He said that under the long-term strategy for Sukkur Barrage, the army engineers had used some vital instruments in the sub-soil area of the barrage which would provide advance information and data about the water flow through the barrage gates and the canals.

Brigadier Bajwa said that Sindh government had asked of them for some additional works which are a part of their long-term planning to ensure the safety of Sukkur Barrage and its allied canals, and also the de-siltation of its tail channels, but this could be undertaken after November, 2005 when the Consultant would submit his final report.

He however said that cofferdams would be removed in the first week of May, while the dredging of the right and left banks and the island area will be over by June, 2005.

He said the annual maintenance and repairs of Sukkur Barrage were very essential, including the regular de-siltation at the up-stream of the barrage, "as they will enhance the life of Sukkur Barrage".

He highlighted the role of media and said, they had drawn the attention of the government towards the high profile issue of Sukkur Barrage.●