Disastrous Impacts of "Indus Link" Outfall of RBOD

By Sikander Brohi

THE AREA:
The gross command area of Indus Right Bank canals is 3.45 million acres with annual canal withdrawals of 14.17 million acre feet (MAF) from Guddu to Sukkur Barrages .The command area is relatively flat and in general slope away towards south as well as towards west from the river up to Nara Valley. However, further west the land rises again towards the Kirthar Hills. The Nara Valley forms the natural drainage line forming boundary between Indus alluvium in the east and piedmont deposits in the west. In this depression lies the Main Nara Valley Drain (MNVD) constructed at the same time as Sukkur Barrage , in 1932. MNVD connects the two natural depressions i-e Hamal lake to the north and Manchhar lake to the south and was aimed at carrying flood flows from Hamal lake to Manchar lake as well as escape flows from the Rice canal via the Pitchered Escape.
With the passage of time , the need for provision of drainage grew stronger in order to realize the benefits of agriculture. However, only limited area has so far been covered under drainage. The surface and tube-well drainage projects implemented in the Right Bank area include: Larkana - Shikarpur Surface Drainage project, North Dadu Surface Drainage Project , Sukkur Right Bank FGW Tube-well Project Kandhkot Tube-well Pilot Project , Sukkur Tube-well Pilot project , Larkana Tube-well Pilot Project , Mohen -jo -Daro Tube-well Project etc.A part of drainage effluent is re-used for irrigation after pumping into irrigation canals while remaining is disposed off into either Hamal or Manchhar Lake through the network of surface drains and MNVD.
Inspite of the provision of the above drainage facilities, benefits are small because of inadequate outfall arrangements .This drainage facility is deteriorating the Manchhar and Hamal lakes, resultantly their ecosystem is in danger due to the continuous disposal of saline drainage effluents. The outfall arrangements are therefore not even sufficient to cater for the existing limited drainage development . On the other hand, the conditions of the Right Bank call for urgent provision of drainage in many parts which can not be undertaken in absence of adequate outfall arrangements.

THE PLAN:
In order to alleviate the problems of the Right Bank of the Indus , a comprehensive master plan called Right Bank Master Plan (RBMP) was prepared in 1991 by an international consulting firm. The plan catered for the development of approximately 4.45 million acres land irrigated by the right bank canals of the Sukkur and Guddu Barrages . The total plan period spans over 26 years with three time slices of 8, 8 and 10 years.

THE PROJECT:
However , in November 1993, the then Prime Minister Ms Benazir Bhutto directed WAPDA to immediately activate RBOD-1 Project as defined in the Right Bank Master Plan (RBMP) . Consequent to the Prime Ministers directives , WAPDA appointed NESPAK as its consultants for the project preparation of RBOD-1. The PC-1 of RBOD stage -1 was prepared for the total investment costs of Rs 25.473 million (including interest during construction and price escalation ) on the basis of the Right Bank Mater Plan Studies updating the cost estimates to 1994 price level. The project was renamed as Lower Indus Right Bank Irrigation and Drainage Project commonly known as Right Bank Outfall Drainage (RBOD) Stage-1.
The LIRB stage -1 project covers an area of 1.63 million acres where new drainage facilities are to be provided and existing drainage schemes are to be improved. Under priority works, existing drainage facilities will be improved on 0.51 million acres while the remaining works covering 1.12 million acres will encompass provision of new drainage schemes in an area of 0.89 million acres and rehabilitation of existing drainage facilities in 0.23 million acres areas. Out of the total coverage of 1.63 million acres , drainage effluent from 1.03 million acres will be recycled into irrigation channels while that from 0.6 million acres will be conveyed to the Right Bank outfall Drain.
The major components of the priority work included RBOD-1 which included: MNVD-Indus Link (24.4 km), remodeling of MNVD(98.5km), RBOD Extension to Miro Khan Zero Point( 40.2 km). While the other remaining works of The LIRB stage -1 project included the remodeling and rehabilitation of existing surface drainage projects including Rato -Dero Surface Drainage project, Shahdad Kot Surface Drainage Project, Monitoring of Drainage Effluent Quality etc. The scope of Remaining works includes preparation of feasibility studies and PC-1 for seven drainage units covering a total gross command area of 1.12 million under the projects i-e rehabilitation and improvement of existing drainage projects including Larkana Surface drainage project, Shikarpur Surface Drainage project while the new drainage projects include; Dokri surface Drainage project, Saifullah Magsi Drainage project, Warah Surface Drainage project , Begari Surface Drainage Project , Frontier Surface Drainage Project and Dhamrao Link for Manchhar Lake conservation etc.

PROJECT BENIFITS:
According to the official experts ,the implementation of LIRB Stage -1 will result in alleviation of water logging and salinity problems in the project area. It will provide storm water control to reduce rice crop damage, increase the area under wheat crop and improve environmental conditions. All these measures will culminate in social and economic uplift in the area and prosperity of the population. As for as economic benefits of the priority works are concerned it is estimated that with project cropping intensities would increase from 128 percent to 131 percent. Crop yields with project for rice would rise to 1504 kg per acre while for wheat these would be in the range of 627 kg per acre to 742 kg per acre . The incremental production of 106000 tones and 33000 tones would be achieved for Rice and wheat respectively . Economic internal rate of Return (EIRR) is estimated as 15.77 percent. According to PC-11 of the remaining works, EIRR is estimated as 14 percent.

OUTFALL OPTIONS FOR THE PROJECT:
One of the major constraints to drainage development on the Right Bank of the Lower Indus to date has been the lack of an adequate outfall. The area irrigated from Guddu and Sukkur Barrages in general slopes gently away from the river to the west , a situation which facilitates irrigation but hinders drainage to the river. The topography of the area is generally flat and natural drainage is impeded by the man made obstacles such as roads, canals and railways.
In the west of the area the Indus alluvial meet the piedmont alluvial , associated with the Khirthar Hills to the west and the Katchhi Plain and Muree Bugti Hills to the North. Here the land begins to rise again more steeply and there is a natural valley line called Main Nara Valley . The designers of the Sukkur Barrage exploited this natural valley line to construct the Main Nara Valley Drain (MNVD) which links Hama lake and Manchar lake to the south. The purpose of the MNVD was principally to carry flood flows from the hill torrents and escape flows from the canals. The MNVD has recently been remodeled to carry effluent from the North Dadu Surface Drainage Project. MNV out-falls into Manchar lake, Which has greatly polluted this natural wetland. According to the official circles the main reason behind launching of RBOD was also to save Hamal and Manchar lakes pollution by creating passage for the drainage water to sea which is disposed off in those lakes till today .
When RBOD project was taken into hand and a some portions of the work were completed , controversies developed about the outfall of the project as due to the non-availability of proper outfall , many options came under consideration for the project.
Four major options before WAPDA and Sindh Government were : (A) Discharging the drainage effluents into Indus river in the upstream of Kotri barrage (B)Crossing Indus through siphon interconnecting with existing LBOD and remodeling existing LBOD up to the sea ( C ) Draining the effluents into man-made or natural ponds in the Katchho area beyond FP Bund.(D) constructing a drain on right bank parallel to River Indus upto Arabian Sea for directly disposing off the drainage water into sea in place of diverting the same into Indus River etc.

THE CONTROVERSIAL OUTFALL OPTION:
Despite those various options presented by the experts about the outfall of LBOD , Sindh government and WAPDA authorities have accepted the option of disposal of RBOD effluents into Indus River , despite the option being highly controversial and questionable . According to this option for the purpose of diverting the RBOD effluents from Manchar lake and disposing off the same in River Indus a link drain with the name of "Indus link" is being constructed .
The authorities and experts of Sindh government are not only accepting that they have opted for the said option but even construction of Indus Link from MNV drain to Indus river has also been launched and by now 80 percent work on the construction of Indus link near has been completed. This link is estimated to cost 400 million and the work on this link was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
The implementation on the same option is being given name of "temporary arrangement" for the time being till the final solution of the disposal of the drainage effluents . However , even those government authorities are not ready to give guarantee whether this temporary arrangement would not become permanent due to variety of factors in future ,including paucity of more amounts with the government to construction alternative outfall . However , in view of the apprehensions expressed by the experts that Indus Link outfall will prove to be environmentally hazardous ,government of Sindh has constituted a high level committee to examine the environmental effects of this link . The committee comprises Secretary Irrigation Sindh ( Chairman), Secretary Social welfare and Environment Sindh, Provincial Coordinator NDP, General Manager WAPDA and Chief (water) planning and development department Sindh. However , the lack of interest in the issue on the part of Sindh Government and WAPDA can be judged from the fact that on the one hand the work on this link is near to completion , the committee has held only its first meeting so far.
Meanwhile , World Bank have refused to finance the project terming the same as environmentally disastrous. World Bank has announced that it would not finance the project even under National Drainage programme (NDP) till new the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)of the project is carried out . However, Sindh government sources said that the government has developed the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the EIA and has sent the same to World Bank for approval . According to the experts , in the case of non-availability of Work Bank financing ,it would become impossible for Sindh government to carry out the EIA of the project through a panel of recognized experts.

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS OF INDUSLINK OUTFALL:
The option of throwing the effluents of RBOD in River Indus through Indus Link being completely rejected by the environments and irrigation / agriculture experts of Sindh on the basis of environment hazards of disposing off the effluent into Indus river.
The major objections of the independent experts and irrigation experts on the Indus link outfall of drainage effluents of RBOD into River Indus are as under:

• Effluent discharge of RBOD drainage water at the outfall would be about 2100 cusecs and the salinity ratio in the above effluent would be nearly 2000 PPM which would be mixed in the Indus water. This effluent may not be dangerous in Kharif season when the river is in peak flood but During Rabi season the flow of Indus water decrease to the extent of 1500 cusecs and even less at Kotri barrage . In such a situation the 2100 cusec effluent in Indus river would make the whole Indus water as poisonous which would certainly play havoc with the lands and people of the Command area of Kotri barrage.
• Water of Indus river is already polluted and saline as it accepts the seepage water of Katcha (Sailaba) area during the closure of Sukkur barrage gates five months in a years. The seepage water carries the pesticide residues which are highly poisonous . The area between the Protective bunds of River Indus is called Katcha. Total Katcha area is comprising on 1849472 acres. There big Ketis of influential political personalities including Keti Jatoi , Keti Kharal, Keti Bhutto etc, where nowadays , crops are cultivated in the modern method using all the inputs including a major quantity of pesticides. The pesticides residues combine with the seepage water of Katcha , which returns back to river bed during the less flow in Indus , contaminating the Indus water. The same contaminated water would be further contaminated to large scale in the case of disposal of the RBOD effluents.

According to the Right Bank Master Plan (RBMP) the salinity in the right bank drains was monitored at a number of locations since June 1989. These include observations at seven existing drainage outlets and show that the effluent salinity ranges from about 300 to 12000 PPM. The water of Indus river downstream Kotri barrage is not only used for irrigation purpose but the same is used for drinking purpose by about 11 lack 51 thousand urban population of Hyderabad city including the total urban and rural population of 28 lac 40 thousand of the district. The same water is also used by more than 11 lac urban and rural population of district Badin and 10 lac 99 thousand urban and rural population of Thatta as well as majority of the total 92 lac 69 thousand urban population of Karachi through as through Kinjhar Lake. According to WHO , the maximum acceptable level for human consumption is 1500 PPM. Salinity above 1500 PPM is hazardous .According to the experts in the case of outfall of the poisonous effluents of RBOD in Indus River the health of the above population of Hyderabad Badin , Thatta and Karachi would face great risk of deterioration. As a result of the outfall of the effluents of the same project in Manchhar lake the rang of salinity in Lake water reached to 4000 Parts per million (PPM) against the desirable limit of 500 PPM. Similarly the Indus water will certainly cross the desirable limit of 500 PPM especially during the low flow in the case of outfall of the RBOD effluents in it , resultantly would become hazardous for the health of the people of the above mentioned urban and rural areas of Sindh.

• The disposal of RBOD effluents in River Indus upstream Kotri Barrage will completely destroy the fertile lands of Kotri Barrage Command area. Four Feeder canals , three on the left and one on the right bank of River Indus off-take from this barrage and deliver assured irrigation water supplies for an area of 3.0 million acres. The feeder on the right namely Kalri Baghar Feeder is a major source of perennial water supplies for the metropolis of Karachi. Due to humid climate Kotri Barrage Command area is most suited for sugarcane and banana crops and both these crops are showing even increasing trend .Gross Command Area of Kotri Barrage is 33.90 lac acres .Out of which cultivable Command Area is comprising on 30.06 lac Acres . Main canals of Kotri Barrage are Fuleli Canal (9.29 lack acres) ,Pinyari Canal (7.86 lac acres) , Akram Wah, (4.87 lac acres ) , K.B Feeder ( 8.04 lac acres) . According to experts with the outfall of the drainage in Kotri barrage the above mentioned fertile lands would convert into saline lands and would lose their fertility resulting in great damage to the agriculture/ rural sector of Sindh.
• Vast areas of Right Bank are irrigated through Pumping schemes below the Indus Link point which are also bound to be polluted and damaged. Similarly a large number of population including the citizens of Kotri town and hundreds of other towns and villages , whose health would also be at risk due to the drinking of the same contaminated /poisonous Indus Water.
• The mangrove forests in Indus delta is spread over 650,000 acres (260,000 hectares ) and is the sixth largest mangrove forest in the world. Fed through the nutrients carried by 400 million tons of silt by river Indus , the mangrove forest estuaries are the most productive forests, protecting and nurturing thousands of botanical , aquatic and wildlife species. Sindh coast remains protected from wave erosion due to the mangrove forest. Without the forest to break the force of waves the 200 miles long coastal could easily fall back progressively. Shortage of fresh water downstream Kotri barrage following construction of reservoirs in the upstream and great pollution of Indus river water has already resulted in the halt in the growth of trees and in the occurrence of limited number of species. This has accelerated the pace of Sea water intrusion and soil erosion in the coastal areas . In the case of RBOD outfall in Indus river the mangrove forests, which are already facing shortage of fresh water, would be completely deprived of fresh water as the water coming downstream Kotri barrage would be completely saline , contaminated and toxic which would further hamper the growth of those forests.
• Sindh has a great coastal belt spread over vast areas of two districts i-e Thatta and Badin . Fresh -salt water balance in the coastal areas of Sindh is badly disturbed . Vast areas of district Thatta and Badin have degraded due to the gradually progressing sea water vector. According to the same survey, 8000 acres of land in Taluka Kharo Chaan and about 2000 acres of land in Taluka Ghora Bari of district Thatta have been degraded due to the sea water intrusion. The area is subjected to high spring tides twice a month. In addition to the spring tide , a sea tide action striking thrice a day is also supplementing the impact. The tidal water specially that of spring tide has a property to spoil the aquifers and consequently soil of the area. Because of the global warming effect , creeping length of the sea is also increasing gradually. Hence the fresh-salt water equilibrium in the area is badly disturbed . Normally this equilibrium remains balanced if aquifers of the area are recharged with fresh water . But in the case of disposal of RBOD effluents in Indus river the fresh water of the river would become polluted and contaminated . As a result ,the aquifers of the area would not be recharged properly. Which would further increase the quantum of saline sea water further damaging the lands making them completely uncultivable .

SUGGESTIONS:
It is the need of hour that that the government should immediately stop implementation on the Indus Link project and should not implement the same even for the temporary purpose and should try to find permanent and environment - friendly outfall for the effluents of RBOD . Therefore, it is necessary to engage the local experts to study the issue in-depth and to suggest alternative ways for the disposal of saline water of the RBOD. In this regard proposals of discharging the saline water into the river only during the season of high flow while stopping the discharge completely during the low flow, discharging the saline water through Nai Baran rain water drain and then discharge the same saline water into river in the downstream of Kotri Barrage saving the lands of Kotri command area, or flowing the same saline water in any barren land between Kotri and Sehwan in evaporation ponds can be examined. However , such task needs in -depth study including aerial photographic survey which is badly needed to come to the correct conclusion.

According to the experts, as ,it is a matter of "life and death" for the millions of population as well as millions of acres of fertile lands of Sindh . Therefore , the government must carry out every possible exercise and check every available option to come to the final conclusion regarding the permanent and environment -friendly outfall for RBOD effluents.

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