Islamabad, JULY27: Plans to restore and revitalize the Dhoro Puran natural route to Shakoor Lake have been announced by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah.
The announcement deals with important problems brought on by the 1980s Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD) project. The federal government’s construction of the LBOD has resulted in serious environmental and agricultural issues. Lands in Badin, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, and Nawabshah were swamped by floods brought on by the excavation of its spinals, which harmed the wetland environment and caused salinization and soil degradation.
The Sindh government intends to rebuild Dhoro Puran and build a Spinal Escape regulator at RD 210 in order to alleviate these problems. The goal of this project is to alleviate the negative effects on local ecosystems and livelihoods while restoring the natural drainage channels.
According to CM Shah, Wapda carried out the LBOD Stage-I project from 1984 to 1997 in order to reduce salt and waterlogging on 1.27 million acres spread over multiple districts. The Kadhan Pateji Outfall Drain (KPOD) and the Dhoro Puran Outfall Drain (DPOD) were intended to transfer excess salinity to the sea through the system, which includes the LBOD spinal drain and its related drainage network.
The 1,666 km of surface drains, 1,673 drainage wells, 99 km of KPOD/DPOD, 43 km of tidal connection, and 261.12 km of spinal drain make up the LBOD system was moved to the Sindh Irrigation Department in 1993, but it was sent back to Wapda after experiencing difficulties due to high rains. In 2002, it was returned to the Sindh Irrigation Department.
Desilting and de-weeding allowed the LBOD to efficiently manage rainwater during July 2022’s intense rains, according to CM Shah. The floods of 2020 and 2022, however, revealed the flaws in the system and had an effect on wetland ecosystems and agricultural fields.
The new initiative from the Sindh government intends to safeguard agricultural fields from flooding and waterlogging, increase agricultural output, and improve the livelihoods of farmers. It also aims to improve drainage efficiency. Local representatives, Secretary of Irrigation Zareef Khero, and Minister of Irrigation Jam Shoro attended a recent program where the concept was discussed.
