KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that his government is committed to augmenting the agrarian economy through climate and disaster-resilient infrastructure that led to the replacement of Sukkur barrage gates following an incident on June 20, 2024.
He said this while presiding over a joint meeting of the Irrigation Dept and Peoples Housing Project here at CM House on Wednesday. Minister Irrigation Jam Khan Shoro, Minister Home Zia Lanjar, CM Special Assistant Jabbar Khan, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, PSCM Agha Wasif, Advocate General Hassan Akbar, Secretary Finance Fayaz Jatoi, CEO Peoples Housing Khalid Shaikh, Secretary Law Ali Ahmad Baloch and others attended the meeting.
The CM said that the ongoing Rs 24 billion Sukkur Barrage Gates and Structure Rehabilitation project is a critical initiative for protecting water resources and infrastructure. Launched in response to the collapse of a gate at Sukkur Barrage on June 20, 2024, the project aims to replace all 66 gates of the historic structure, including canal gates, he said.
Minister Irrigation Jam Khan Shoro briefed the CM that the project is on track for completion in three years, with major civil works currently in progress. The comprehensive rehabilitation plan includes constructing a large cofferdam. For the first time since the barrage’s construction, the floors, piers, and built-in components will undergo inspection and repair. The first phase focuses on replacing 16 gates, starting at the Left Bank Divide Wall.
Construction of the stage-1 cofferdam started on September 16, 2024, and Secretary Irrigation Zareef Khero personally monitored the replacement of 16 main gates on October 20, 2024.
According to Shoro, a total of 510 sheet piles for the upstream cofferdam have been successfully installed, while work on the downstream sheet piles commenced on November 26, 2024, with 16 out of 594 piles already driven. Temporary access for transporting materials and equipment has been completed, along with the delivery of steel sheet piles and geomembrane sandbags to the site.
The Rs24 billion Sukkur Barrage project will accommodate enhanced works. The project is scheduled for completion by February 23, 2027, with an additional one-year defect liability period.
SPHF: CEO Sindh Peoples Housing for Flood (SPHF) Khalid Shaikh, during the meeting, presented updates on housing construction for flood-affected families.
The CM was informed that over one million bank accounts had been opened to facilitate direct fund transfers for housing reconstruction. So far, funds have been disbursed to 810,000 beneficiaries, leading to the completion of 475,000 houses, with 300,000 families already having moved into their new homes.
The SPHF initiative reflects the Sindh government’s broader vision to build disaster-resilient infrastructure and improve living standards for flood-affected communities, the CM said and praised the progress and emphasized the importance of maintaining momentum in both housing and
irrigation projects to ensure timely delivery.
Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah reiterated his government’s commitment to sustainable development, saying, “Through projects like the Sukkur Barrage Rehabilitation and the Peoples Housing initiative, we are creating a future-ready Sindh, equipped to address climate challenges while uplifting its people.”
The Sindh government is actively engaged in extensive barrage rehabilitation and housing initiatives, exemplifying a model of inclusive development, said the CM and added that these efforts were aimed at both safeguarding the province’s essential infrastructure and empowering its vulnerable communities.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024