At least 10 kilometers of main railway tracks, linking Sindh with the upcountry, are likely to be washed away by the flash floods in Sukkur if the government breach the Flood Protecting Bund in a bid to protect Sukkur Barrage. Since the level of floodwater is increasing, Pakistan Railways has imposed emergency in the division while keeping all concerned officers and staff alert along the railway tracks.
According to the sources in Pakistan Railways Sukkur Division, it will heavily cost the railways if its installations were washed out by floodwater as it has happened in 1976 when the Sindh government had breached the bunds to save the important barrage. Almost eight kilometer tracks of the main railway line connecting Sukkur to Rohri and rest of the cities of the country were removed by the floodwater.
Currently, over 0.7 million cusecs floodwater was being discharged through the barrage out of its total capacity of 0.9 million cusecs. However, according to the sources, discharge of over one million cusecs water has been seen on several occasions.
The maximum flood discharge of over 1.1 million cusecs passed through the barrage in 1976 when the provincial government had to cut the bund to save the important barrage of the country. The barrage is about 3 miles downstream of Lansdowne Railway Bridge, the twin cities of Sukkur and Rohri being on the right and left banks of the Indus River respectively. The barrage is situated 100 miles downstream of Guddu Barrage and about 300 miles upstream of Kotri Barrage.
Like the same steps taken in 1976, sources said, the government was considering to open the bund at Aliwan in Mudhodero Area of Sukkur to save the barrage from any possible damages. Previously the whole Mundhodero area has been washed out of the floodwater.
Talking to Business Recorder from Sukkur, Qazi Nimatullah, Central Chief Organiser of Railways Workers Union said that railway tracks were likely to be more affected by the flood as bridges and tracks along the said areas were not properly repaired or maintained during the last few decades.
Though, to discharge the rain water and light floods railways had constructed small bridges after every two kilometers but that was not sufficient to save the railway installations from heavy floods, he added. To save the important barrage and Sukkur city from the destruction of floodwater, there was the only way to cut the bund and leave water to be flooded downward away from the city.
It is worth mentioning here that under the emergency plan for Sukkur Barrage, the provincial government has decided that ten more gates of barrage would be reopened besides making breaches at flood protecting bunds at the left bank of the Indus River. According to the sources there were more than 400 natural ponds along the Indus River from Kashmore to Keti Bunder, which could also cause destruction if these were not plugged immediately.
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