LHDP jointly with Oxfam organize Seminar on LBOD Impacts Coz of Damages on 9th August to 13 October Rain Disasters in District Badin. A number of experts, Government civil society leaders and elected representatives participate in the Seminar. Seminar was held at Cristal Hall Indus Hotel Hyderabad.
This is first time all stockholders from community participate in this event specially people from affected Union Councils village and shared their experiences especially because of the LBOD faulty structure.
Venue: Crystal Hall, Indus hotel, ThadiSarak, Hyderabad
Date: 28th November 2011
By:Laar Humanitarian and Development Program
Participants: ninety three
Seminar started with the name of Allah and followed by the orientation done by SattarZangejo on the causes of this seminar arrangement.
Speakers:
1. AhsanLeghari MD CIDA
2. MohdSalehSoomro Social Scientist
3. Noor Mohd Bajeer Civil Society
4. PunhalSarioCivil society activist
5. IqbalHyder Executive Director
6. Prof. Ismail Kumbher Expert
7. AyoubSharPoliticle activist
8. AmeerMahndroHumanitarian activist
9. Ramchand Community resource person
10. Ahmed Ali Jamali Community resource activist
11. FatehmohdNotkani Community resource person
Also NisatrKhokhar senior journalist KTN, Asgharleghari Manager Programs LHDP, Akhter sheikh Students political leader,Shakeelbachani senior journalist, JavedsozHalai Civil society activist, Akashsantorai senior journalist, Jabbarbhatti civil society activist, wahidkandhro journalist, shafiquekandhro civil society activist also participated in this seminar with the number of community resource persons from District Badin.
Separate transportation has been arranged for community resource persons to provide pick and drop facility from their village.
Lunch has been arranged.
Most of devastations occurred in the lower part of Sindh called Laar during these heavy rains because of breeches in the faulty structure of LBOD and most of the affected villages are very near to that major or sub drain area, as heavy rains caused flood not only at our local level in the district Badin but also to the upper parts of Sindh province and this drain begins from Ghotki and ends at the Arabian Sea. During the monsoon rains in August and September, it overflowed in parts of district BenazirAbad(Nawabshah), Sanghar, Mirpurkhas and release its water to the sea through Badin districts, affecting eight million people and destroying millions of acres of agriculture land and livestock.
The LBOD, he said, was designed to reclaim 1.2 million acres of land in Sanghar and Mirpurkhas districts but the project backfired. Its tidal link was washed away in 1999 followed by Cholri Weir.
Mr. AhsanLeghari Managing Director Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority ‘SIDA’ said that, It is agreed that the fault in LBOD is due to the resistant to natural flow of water, at some places this natural flow line is overlapped through this LBOD structure with the result the huge quantity of water does not allowed through this structure because of its design and capacity at the same time natural flow also disturb of this structure, this not only obstruct itself the drain water but also causes obstructions in the natural flow of water as well. Another drawback is that it allows sea intrusion.
“The LBOD has a design fault that allows sea intrusion and it has less capacity than what is needed,” he claimed.
Under the short term plan the government would rehabilitate old and natural routes of drainage and an anti-encroachment law was on the anvil to do away with encroachments along the routes of old water ways. “The government will cut off the choked part of LBOD, remove encroachments from its route and revive some of the historic waterways like DhoroPuran in Mirpurkhas.”
Redesigning of LBOD is also the question mark because the people of Badin have lot of concerns over there.
Salehsoomro the consultant Luis berg that there is a need to install back flow pressure gates near KPOD in order to reduce high tide pressure on LBODPeople had also expressed serious reservations over Kadhan-Pateji Outfall Drain (KPOD) and DhoroPuran Outfall Drain (DPOD)
He cited a World Bank inspection panel`s observation, which had admitted design faults in the LBOD. Funds for LBOD`s upkeep were not utilized and the drain`s bed was not cleansed of weeds, he said.
He disputed authorities` claim that LBOD had withstood a flow of 20,000 cusecs of water against its designed capacity of 4,600 cusecs and said that the drain`s banks needed to be strengthened.
IqbalHyder Executive Director LHDP has concern over the design fault, its capacity and the strategy of WB and the government as well
WB has formulated world class expert’s team for the study of LBOD’s destructions and the destruction of livelihood options also natural fauna and flora, lakes and other things like water resources as well. They agreed that they rehabilitate local fauna and flora, natural habitat, climate change, echo system and payments to the affected communities. No rehabilitation initiatives have been taken yet by World Bank and its associated donors and this is the crime even after agreed things.
This LBOD is not a gift from donors but it is a faulty funded project and the government is taking more and more funds from such type of donors of no means.
We have concerns over the availability of our selves, because of the expert’s opinion that the coming three years are very important of water years and lot of water will be available in these coming three ages.
What is LBOD structure? It has no base, no borders, no capacity? All is nothing more than destruction.
Fatehnotkani resident of village Turab Ali notkani said that the big destruction is on its way following 1999 cyclone which vanished Choleri Weir, and now lot of creeks are growing up to destroy agriculture land and no protection over there from the last 12 years, that was the only structure which was available in those days to push back the sea. He claimed the WAPDA for show where this Choleri Weir is?..
Mohammad yousaf Bajeer community activist has shared his experiences that the water level is going to exceed up to the upper level and the underground water is going to become saline of sea introsion and the mixing up of drained chemically contaminated water with this, and the local populace is going to become the careers of various chronic diseases.
A farmer Ahmed Ali Jamali said that a system like that of LBOD was needed but not at the cost of people. Saline water should be taken to the sea but communities living along the drain should not be disturbed. “It is a question of our survival.
He said the damage caused by the drain over the years had made 45 species of cattle and 30 of insects extinct. LBOD was a demon that was killing people again and again.
AyubShar political activist admitted that government had done nothing for people displaced by rain floods.
PunhalSario proposed that all districts concerned authorities should treat water before its release into LBOD the major drain.
Report / Project Officer Viram Kumar Khatri
Sattar Zangejo Media Communication Coordinator
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