KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday underlined the need for storing rain water in the desert areas in the province including Tharparkar, Khairpur and Sanghar for irrigation and drinking purposes.
He said that the irrigation department with the help of communities and volunteers could do this or it could be done under public private partnership to save public money.
He gave this idea at a briefing in Bilawal House. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Member of the National assembly Faryal Talpur, provincial ministers and experts from the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and Irrigation Department were present on the occasion.
The President directed for an early draining out of rain water from the areas and said that late varieties of wheat should be cultivated in areas where water has been drained out.
Irrigation Minister Jam Saifullah Dharejo informed the meeting that the good news about the affected areas is that the water has started receding. Benazirabad will be the first to be cleared of rain water followed by Sanghar, he added.
The Member Water, WAPDA said that experts have suggested for reactivation of existing drainage system to effectively drain out rain water to the sea at a faster pace.
He said that spinal drains are working very well and water velocity is good.
The Secretary Irrigation said that the drainage system was now working effectively after the removal of obstructions and draining out stagnant water to canals and the Indus River.
The meeting was told that all the canals were closed before the start of rain so that they can carry rain water. Yet some breaches occurred in large canals due to gushing flashflood which was beyond their carrying capacity.
Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011
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