SUKKUR: Indus River System Authority (Irsa) Chairman Abdul Hameed Mengal, along with its Director of Operations Rana Khalid and Punjab Member Amjad Saeed, met Sukkur Barrage management to discuss curtailed water supplies to Balochistan in the wake of the June 20 damage to seven barrage gates.

The Irsa team was given a briefing on the incident and the resultant suspension of water flows into Khirthar and all other canals off-tak-ing from the barrage.

The team expressed its concern over the situation leading a drastic cut in supplies to Balochistan.

Barrage officials, Mansoor Memon and Mukhtiar Abro, explained to the Irsa team that water flows into all canals were being increased gradually now when the repair and rehabilitation work of damaged gates was progressing fast. They said the outflows were being regulated as per the inflows at the barrage.

They pointed out that the inflows were showing constant improvement.

`Even today, 4,850 cusecs were released into Khirthar Canal [which feeds Balochistan],` they said.

After the meeting the, Irsa team proceeded to the sites of the damaged gates to inspect rehabilitation work.

Meanwhile, Sindh Barrage Improvement Programme`s Project Director Ghulam Mohi-uddin Mughal was quoted as saying that the gates Nos 44, 46, 47, 48, 52, 53 and 54 had been repaired. Repair works of gate Nos 55, 56, 57, 58 and 59 had already been completed by a Chinese firm, he said.