The Sindh government has signed a deal worth $175 million with a British company to breathe new life into the decaying structure of Sukkur Barrage – one of the largest irrigation systems in the world – that is always facing a flood situation. Last year, the provincial government had written a letter to the British government for technical assistance in rehabilitation and remodelling of the barrage as it was constructed by a Britain-based company during the British rule in India. The agreement was signed between the Sindh Irrigation Department and the Adcan International for remodelling, rehabilitating and increasing the life and capacity of the Sukkur Barrage. The British company will prepare a feasibility report of the project after which the repair work will start. The total cost of the project will be around $175 million.
Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Saifullah Dharijo and Adcan International’s country manager Stiffen Kenkar signed the agreement on Thursday. As per the agreement, the company will complete the project’s feasibility within a year at a cost of Rs 8 million. The report will compile data on increasing the barrage’s capacity from 0.9 million cusecs to 1.5 million cusecs. It has been 80 years since the Sukkur Barrage was built and the rehabilitation project will increase its life for another 20 years. Talking to the media after signing the agreement, Dharijo said the project will give a new life to Sukkur Barrage. “The capacity of Sukkur Barrage when it was constructed during the British period was 1.6 million cusecs, but for some technical reasons some gates of the barrage were closed and now its capacity stands at 0.9 million cusecs.”
