KARACHI - Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that Guddu Barrage is the cumulative point of passing flood water from all the rivers of Pakistan and outfalls into Arabian sea.
The Indus River poses great threat to entire length throughout the province as it runs on the ridge. Therefore, strengthening of protective bunds and repair of vulnerable points are his top priorities.
He was presiding over a meeting regarding pre-monsoon flood preparation and disaster risk management here at the CM House on Monday.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary to CM Sohail Rajput, Special Secretary (Tec) Irrigation Junaid Memon, chief engineers Aijaz Shaikh, Irshad Memon, Bahi Khan Lakho, MD SIDA Mohammad Khan Lakho and XEN Shahbaz Akhtar. He said that he has already started strengthening of vulnerable points even then the government has to take necessary measure to protect people and their property during the forth-coming monsoon season.
Special Secretary Irrigation Junaid Memon briefing the chief minister said that flood season normally starts from second week of July and continues up to September. Monsoon start from July 10 and early monsoon has started with light rains in the upcountry. Therefore, low flood is expected. Giving synoptic situation Juanid quoted weekly weather outlook for Rivers catchments, from 15 to 21 June, 2017 issued by Met office, said a trough of westerly wave lies over Kashmir and adjoining areas, seasonal low lies over Northeast Balochistan.
Scattered dust thunderstorm/ rain of moderate intensity are expected over the upper catchments of all the major rivers from June 19, 2017. He added that there would neither be very heavy rains nor flood situation in rivers.
He quoted another outlook for summer monsoon (JAS) 2017 and said consequent upon prevailing ocean and atmospheric conditions, summer monsoon is expected to be normal in the first half and below normal in the second half of the season, in Pakistan. He added that based on statistical and dynamical downstream of global circulation models, there would be area weighted rainfall during monsoon season over Pakistan and is expected to fall short of long term average. However, rainfall would be highly variable over temporal and spatial scale.
According to the outlook, during July- monsoon rainfall many range in normal limits but less than normal rainfall is likely in August and September. However, there is a high probability of localized rainfalls which may generate flash flooding in mountainous and sub-mountainous regions. The outlook further says localized events of rainfall coupled with rapid melting in the glaciated regions of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral may trigger floods.
There are certain stages of flood in the province. At Guddu, Sukkur and Kotri barrages flow of upto 200,000 cusecs is considered to be as normal while flow of 2 to 2.5 lac cusecs is termed as low flood. Flow of over 3.5 to 5 lac cusecs is considered as medium flood while high flood is measured at 5 to 7 lac cusecs flows. & to 9 lac cusecs is very high while above 9 lac cusecs is termed as super flood. Presently it is less than normal situation at all barrages.
Syed Murad Ali Shah directed the Irrigation department to make Abkalyani arrangements such as clearance of jungles, levelling, soaking and repair of bunds, identification of borrow pit areas, identification and treatment of leaks, filling of ditches, establishment of flood warning centers, deployment of earth moving machinery, construction of katcha landhies, procurement of abkalyani materials and patrolling on the bands.
He was told that that during the super flood of 2010 five breaches were occurred along LM Bund from mile 7/2 to 15/7. After floods bund has been raised by six feet above water level of 2010 and bund has also been stoned pitched and provided san coring.
The chief minister said that KK Bund at Mile 11 remained vulnerable during floods of 2010. On this Special Secretary (Tech) Junaid Memon said stone pitching and apron has been provided to strengthen the bund and now it is quite stable. He added that KK Link Bund is also vulnerable and it is connected with K.K Feeder Bund. Stone apron which was washed out during flood of 2016 has now been recouped. The chief minister said that KK Feeder is 5000 feet long. The River course runs parallel into the toe of the bund and its stone apron stretching over 2000 feet had also washed out during the floods of 2015 and now it has been recouped, however necessary vigilance may be made on it, he directed.
Syed Murad Ali Shah said Sukkur Begari Bund from zero to four-mile is a defence line. It protects Sukkur city which is just behind the bund. On this the chief engineer Sukkur Barrage said that short stone stud have been restored and stone apron up to mile two has been laid down between mile. Now the bund is
Juanid told the chief minister that necessary machinery at vulnerable points such as KK, Bund, KK Link Bund, KK Feeder bund, Old Tori Bund and SM Bund have been moved as per flood magnitude prescribed in the bund manual.
The chief minister directed the irrigation department to provide him a list of the officers assigned on the emergency duty Flood Emergency Centers and of the officials on patrolling along with their cell numbers so that he could remain in contact with them.
The chief minister directed his principal secretary Sohail Rajput to issue necessary directives to divisional commissioners to take precautionary measures before start of the monsoon season.