CM launches project to revive natural route of Dhoro Puran to Shakoor Lake

HYDERABAD: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that the federal government constructed the Left Bank Outfall Darin (LBOD) during the 1980s, but the excavation of its spinals blocked the natural waterways

He said that as a result, the lands of Badin, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, and Nawabshah started submerging during floods and degraded, turning saline, the wetland ecosystem was completely damaged, and livelihood opportunities shrank. Keeping in view these problems, particularly the livelihoods and the damaged wetland ecosystem, the Sindh government decided to revive the natural route of Dhoro Puran to construct a Spinal Escape regulator at RD 210 and rehabilitate Dhoro Puran up to Shakoor Lake, he added.

The CM, sharing the background of the LBOD project, said that from 1984 to 1997, the LBOD Stage-I project was executed by Wapda to relieve waterlogging and salinity in 1.27 million acres of land in Shaheed Benazirabad, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, and Badin districts.

Murad said that the LBOD spinal drain connects the drainage network to the sea through a tidal link. The LBOD spinal drain collects surplus drainage and distributes it through a weir to two branch drains -- the Kadhan Pateji Outfall Drain (KPOD) and the Dhoro Puran Outfall Drain (DPOD).

He said the spinal drain system was designed to direct the high salinity drainage into the KPOD and then to the sea. The KPOD connects to the sea via a 26-mile-long canal, called the Tidal Link.

The CM said that 204 drains from three divisions, totalling 1,735 miles in length, would discharge into the LBOD. These include 108 drains from Badin, spanning 813 miles; 51 drains from Mirpurkhas, covering 454 miles; and 43 drains from Sanghar, extending over 336.6 miles.

He recalled that Wapda (federal government) handed over the LBOD Spinal to the Sindh Irrigation Department in 1993, but the system could not perform and cause damage during the heavy rains1994 monsoon. Therefore, the system was returned to Wapda in 1995. Wapda handed over the LBOD System again to the Sindh Irrigation Department in February 2002

Shah said the LBOD project includes a spinal drain of 261.12 km, KPOD/DPOD of 99 km, a tidal link of 43 km, Surface Drains of 1666 km, and 1673 Drainage wells. Its benefited area is spread over 1.270 million acres. The cost of the project was Rs.33.44 billion, its commencement was in July 1986, and it was transferred to the Irrigation Department on February 1, 2002.

Talking about the conceptualisation and problems, the CM said that on July 4, 2022, heavy rain began, and the LBOD’s drainage network efficiently carried storm water to its outfalls. He added that the drains worked effectively due to desilting and de-weeding processes.

The CM said the LBOD system was intended to manage 125mm of rainfall in 48 hours with a five-day evacuation period and added that the heavy rainfall of 2020 and 2022 caused widespread devastation and exposed the defects, shortcomings, and vulnerabilities of the existing drainage system on the left bank of the river Indus. He said the people of districts of Badin, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar and Nawabshah have always suffered due to flooding as their lands have been degraded and turned into saline; the wetland ecosystem is completely damaged and degraded and livelihood opportunities have shrunk.

By addressing drainage issues, the project will protect agricultural lands from waterlogging and flooding, ensuring more stable and productive farming conditions, and supporting farmers’ livelihoods.

The CM said enhancing drainage efficiency and reducing excess water will boost agricultural productivity, leading to higher crop yields and economic stability for farmers. Minister for Irrigation Jam Shoro, Secretary Irrigation Zareef Khero, elected representatives of the area, and the notables attended the programme in large numbers.