The experts at a workshop also suggested Emergency Preparedness Plan should cover flood infrastructures of Indus River, barrages and embankments
By Rehan Khan Khushik
Sukkur, Sindh
While discussing the proposed new location of Sukkur Barrage and Emergency Preparedness Plan (EPP) of Guddu Barrage, the experts have suggested that the EPP should not be limited to barrages only, but should also include flood infrastructures of river, barrages and embankments.
They suggested that EPP must have wider scope than existing Contingency Plan and Bund Manual.
“World Bank has policy for safety of dams which must be triggered,” World Bank Task Team leader, Francois Onimus said speaking at the one-day workshop on Emergency Prepared Plan of Guddu Barrage and identification of new location for Sukkur Barrage.
The workshop was organized by Sindh Barrages Improvement Project (SBIP) funded by the World Bank in a local hotel in Sukkur.
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Mr. Francois Onimus further said that WB basically improving the reliability, safety and build capacity of the Barrages.
The national, international experts along with provincial disaster management authority, administrative authorities, senior officers of Sindh Irrigation Department and Irrigation experts including Foreign Consultants, Panel of Experts and Indus River System Authority (IRSA) member of Sindh participated in the workshop and gave valuable input for the improvement of EPP.
Ghulam Mohi U Ddin Mughal, Project Director, Project Management Office SBIP, delivered project briefing and informed that main infrastructure works consist of replacement of gates of Guddu and Sukkur Barrages including head regulators gates with electro mechanical works, civil repair works associated with barrage components and construction of buildings including office/residential buildings and workshops.
About EPP, he said that everybody knows that Dam failure depend on many factors, notably the nature of Dam-breach flood, which is related to the type and height of the dam and volume of impounded water released and proximity and nature of hazards, persons, properties and infrastructure in the zone of inundation downstream of the Dam.
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He said that an emergency in the case of Guddu Barrage might comprise of the several events such as an abrupt structural failure of the Barrage or associated structures. He said that flood flows in the River Indus of sufficient magnitude to cause endangerment of the upstream embankments (for which there is usually advance warning).
Mansoor Memon, Chief Engineer Guddu Barrage said that primary objectives of the EPP is to aid the time line and effectiveness of carrying out appropriate actions during emergency response. He said that the department has a provision of Annual Contingency Plan through which anticipated flood management is being carried out. This EPP must be comprehensive and should have wider scope to must cover annual Operation and Maintenance Plan, Annual Contingency Plan and Bund Manual.
Chief Engineer Barrage Management Unit Sajid Ali Bhutto said that the emergency preparedness plan for rehabilitation and modernization of Guddu Barrage is a testament to the dedication and collaborative efforts of the Irrigation Department government of Sindh and Mott Macdonald.
Aslam Ansari, ex-additional secretary irrigation department said that emergency preparedness plan follows all infrastructures of the irrigation system from Barrages to embankments. He said that in Sindh province, emergency continues at embankments.
Chief Engineer Kotri Barrage Ghulam Ali Talpur suggested that emergency plan should be continued in operational manual plans of the Barrages to fight the flood emergencies.
Proposed Locations for new Sukkur Barrage
Project Director SBIP Ghulam Mohi u ddin said that site location for new barrage is the most critical aspect for its overall cost as well as technical advantage and disadvantage associated with site.
He said that five locations were proposed for new Sukkur Barrage by the Consultants (Atkinson-ACE-NDC JV) in Feasibility Studies carried out in 2018. The proposed five locations are at existing location, at Bukkur Gorge upstream of the barrage, between the Gorge and existing Barrage, upstream of the Gorge and downstream of the existing Barrage.
Zareef Khero, former secretary irrigation Sindh discussed the subject matter in length on the presentation and shared the history. He informed that locations have already been discussed and modelled and barrage is the most suitable location reasoning being an efficient sediment sluicing, controlling water logging and salinity in bordering regions. He further said that the study findings were presented in high level technical committee headed by the Late A.N.G Abbasi and other engineers including Idrees Rajput, Khadim Memon, Late Sardar Mughal and Ali Gohar Shah. Present ongoing barrage rehabilitation was recommended for execution and modification of River Training Works within the barrage for increasing the discharge capacity. It was decided that model study should be carried out from international research laboratory for further investigation.
Sohail Hameed Baloch, Chief Engineer Sukkur said that river Indus is one of the longest river in the world. Sukkur Barrage was operated in 1932 with discharge capacity 1.5 million. He said that it has passed various supper floods and it is 90 years old Barrage and hence there is need for construction of new Sukkur Barrage.
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Francois Onimus, Task Team Leader World Bank said that with funds of WB, the rehabilitation and modernization of Sukkur Barrage continued for more 40 years life. He said that different five locations were proposed by the consultant to construct of new Sukkur Barrage for supplying water to the irrigation and agricultural networking in Sindh. This Barrage is a future planning for next 30 years.
Khadim Ali Memon panel expert of irrigation department delivered presentation and proposed that a new Barrage may be constructed at up stream of road-bridge and downstream existing Sukkur Barrage. However, this will be confirmed through pre-feasibility Study and model study result.
Technical Officer SBIP Imran Aziz Tunio, said that due to climate change the peak flood discharges can increase the risk against structure stability of the Guddu and Sukkur barrage and its embankment under the flood discharges scenario of 1.6 million cusecs and above. He urged that the emergency drill must be carried out to test the emergency preparedness plan at Guddu and Sukkur Barrages. This is extremely important as it enhances resilience and expedites response efforts to cope with climatic catastrophes or unforeseen disaster, such as earthquakes.
Abdul Waheed Nizamani Deputy Project Director PMO SBIP, A. Razzaque Memon, Ayaz Khoso,, Abdul Fatah Memon, Ms. Farhana Shams, Zahid Hussain Mughal, Umar Karim and others attended the workshop.
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