DADU-The Kali Mori bridge over Johi branch (canal) in Bello Patan area collapsed, damaging the aqueduct of the Main Nara Valley Drain (MNVD) passing underneath and suspending supply of water to 135,000 acres of farmland.
Former president of the Dadu chapter of Sindh Abadgar Board, Mohammad Jamali said that road link between Khairpur Nathan Shah and Johi talukas along with 300 villages had also been cut off and saline water gushing from the damaged aqueduct was now flowing in the canal after the irrigation authorities closed down water flows to the canal.
He said that suspension of water supply to agricultural land would seriously affect standing wheat crop irrigated by the branch.
Irrigation executive engineer Mr Balram said that the bridge started getting weak after floodwaters began flowing into the MNV drain from Sept 5. The floodwaters weakened the structure of the aqueduct and the bridge over it, which finally collapsed all of a sudden, he said.
He said that the bridge was constructed in 1881 and was inaugurated by former governor S.M. Abbasi. It was 416 feet long and passed 620 cusecs, he said.
Sindh’s secretary of irrigation Sohail Ahmed Qureshi said that the irrigation department had planned to rebuild this bridge under Sindh Resilience Project funded by World Bank.
He said that it was a very important bridge and efforts were being made to rebuild it on an emergency basis and a team had already started working on it. All resources had been mobilised to remove the debris as soon as possible, he said.
“The debris damaged the aqueduct of the MNV drain and saline water started gushing out into the canal, which has started flowing towards flood-hit areas of Johi and K.N. Shah,” said Amir Bux Kalhoro, a resident of Khanpur.
“The supply of freshwater has been closed to Patoro, Chejani, Eighth Shakh, Ninth Sakh, Noonari and nine other waterways, which may lead to crisis of water for drinking as well as irrigation,” he said.
PPP MNA Rafiq Ahmed Jamali said that the irrigation department had been asked to reconstruct the bridge and restore supply of water into Johi branch. If water supply was not restored immediately standing crops would be seriously affected, he warned.