Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah visited the HBSZ company in Wuhan, China, where he invited the firm to lay a pipeline of more than 100 kilometres in Karachi. During the visit he also reviewed the ongoing preparation of gates for the Sukkur Barrage and 100 canal gates.
Shah said the 100-kilometre pipeline would be laid to improve water supply in Karachi. He added that the government wanted the project completed early and that the Sindh government would begin laying the pipeline as soon as possible.
Karachi water pipeline plan and company response
The Chinese company said it was willing to take on the water pipeline project for Karachi. Its project management office and project implementation consultant welcomed the chief minister and his delegation when they arrived.
Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro also arrived at the HBSZ facility. The visit focused on both the pipeline proposal and the barrage equipment being built in China.
Inspection of Sukkur Barrage gates in Wuhan
Shah inspected the gates being prepared for the Sukkur Barrage. He described the barrage as the “economic jugular vein” of Sindh, saying it is crucial to the region.
Shah said substantial improvements in water flow had been achieved 90 years after the formal restoration of the barrage. He also said that, in terms of its command area, the Sukkur Barrage is among the major barrages in the world.
He was briefed on the construction of the gates and the overall progress of the project. According to the briefing, each gate weighs more than 50 tons and will be transferred to Pakistan once completed. The improvement project is now in its fourth consecutive year.
The briefing gave the following progress figures:
- 44 of 54 gates and their opening systems have been replaced and activated.
- Civil repair work on the 44 river gates has been completed.
- The remaining 10 gates have been fabricated and will soon be shipped to Sukkur.
Sukkur Barrage project timeline and funding
Shah said the Sukkur Barrage restoration project was initiated on February 24, 2023, with a target completion date of June 30, 2027. The modernisation and rehabilitation contract was awarded jointly to CRBC and HBSZ.
The work forms part of wider efforts to rehabilitate both the Sukkur and Guddu barrages. Shah noted that the project is being carried out with financial assistance from the World Bank, the Government of Pakistan and the Government of Sindh.
The improvement project is divided into five parts. Part 1 focuses specifically on the rehabilitation of the Sukkur and Guddu barrages.
