Sukkur Barrage Gate Collapse Shocks Officials

Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro, Irrigation Secretary Zarif Khero, Sukkur Mayor Arslan Islam Shaikh, and other senior officials were shocked when they discovered that one of the gates of the Sukkur Barrage had collapsed and another one was heavily damaged on Thursday evening.

Damaged Gate 44 at Sukkur Barrage

Even after 24 hours, no senior official could explain why this happened.

Upon hearing about the incident, the Sukkur commissioner, deputy commissioner, and other senior officials and engineers rushed to the barrage late Thursday night. The minister, secretary, and mayor visited the site on Friday to assess the situation. They saw that gate number 44 was heavily damaged, while gate number 47 had collapsed and fallen into the deep water, making it invisible.

Superintendent Engineer Fayyaz Shah, when asked by the media, suggested that the damage could have been caused by water pressure or something else, but he wasn't sure. He guessed that the collapsed gate might have been hit by a large object like a tree trunk carried by the floodwater.

In 2010 and 2011, during super floods, the Sukkur Barrage had handled about one million cusecs of water without any gate damage. Currently, the Indus River is in a low flood state, with the discharge upstream at 160,000 cusecs and downstream at 102,000 cusecs. The gates were not under pressure from floodwater.

Sources said that the rising water levels in the Indus were due to continuous snow melting and heavy rains in the northern region. However, the water flow at Guddu Barrage on Thursday was much lower, with 140,000 cusecs upstream and 130,000 cusecs downstream.

Senior officials briefed Jam Khan Shoro and Zarif Khero about the damage. Later, Mr. Shoro informed the media that repair work had begun. He mentioned that water supply to the Left Bank and Right Bank canals would be temporarily suspended for repairs. Water was being released downstream to reduce pressure and ensure the barrage's safety. The minister apologized to the public, especially farmers, for the inconvenience and assured them that the repairs would be completed as soon as possible.

Due to the repair work, water supply to Nara, Rohri, Khairpur East, Khairpur West, Northern Dadu, Rice Canal, and NW Canal would be suspended, according to a spokesman for Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro.

Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2024

Sukkur Barrage, Gate Collapse, Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro, Flood Damage, Water Pressure, Emergency Repairs, Indus River Flood, Sukkur Mayor Arslan Islam Shaikh, Barrage Safety, Sindh Irrigation Department

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