HYDERABAD, Sindh – Physical work to rehabilitate the Akram Wah canal, a critical irrigation channel for lower Sindh province, is underway, though addressing decades-long design flaws that limit its capacity may take considerably longer. The $75.92 million project, funded by the World Bank through the Sindh Water and Agriculture Transformation (SWAT) project, aims to restore the canal’s full irrigation flow of 3,714 cusecs.
The 76.20-mile-long Akram Wah serves a command area of 0.487 million acres across Tando Mohammad Khan, Badin, and parts of Hyderabad division, supplying water to 1,780 farmlands. Originally designed to carry 4,100 cusecs during the Kharif season and 1,900 cusecs during Rabi, the canal has historically fallen short of its intended discharge due to inherent design issues, leading to water shortages for farmers.
Jamal Mangan, project director for the water component of SWAT, stated that the current rehabilitation work, now costing Rs21 billion, will focus on re-lining the canal bed from Reduced Distance (RD)-0 to RD-193. This decision follows a review of a previous feasibility study conducted under the Water Sector Improvement Project (WSIP) by the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (Sida). “The PICs have come up with findings that re-lining of Akram Wah should be kept intact between RD-0 to RD-193 to save the canal’s freshwater being lost through seepage in soil,” Mangan said.
Recent groundwater investigations, commissioned by the World Bank and conducted by the project’s implementation consultants – National Engineering Services Pakistan (NESPAK) and Associated Consulting Engineers (ACE) – revealed significant water loss through seepage, contaminating the surrounding groundwater with precious freshwater. The WSIP feasibility report indicated minimal water loss in reaches beyond RD-193 due to the clay-rich soil composition, justifying a focus on re-lining the more porous sections of the canal.
The administrative control of Akram Wah and the New Phulelli canal rests with Sida, while the remaining canals of the Kotri Barrage – Kalri Baghar Feeder and Aged Phulelli/Pinyari – fall under the Sindh irrigation department. Sida was established to promote participatory irrigation, but a dual system persists. The Sindh government is currently drafting legislation to merge the 1979 Sindh Irrigation Act and the 2002 Sindh Water Management Ordinance, a move that would dissolve Sida and rename the irrigation department as the Sindh Water Resource Management Department.
According to Sajjad Soomro, General Manager (operations) at Sida, the existing lining of Akram Wah exhibits significant structural distress, including concrete cracking, panel displacement, and erosion. “Given the age of the canal lining and its present condition, simple repairs are no longer sufficient to address the underlying issues,” Mangan added.
The Akram Wah is unique in Pakistan as the only fully lined canal. However, the canal similarly supplies drinking water to Hyderabad city, a demand that has increased with population growth and industrial activity. Farmers in the canal’s command area have long faced water shortages, particularly in tail-complete reaches. Sida currently supplements the Akram Wah with water from the New Phulelli canal, regulated by the Alipur regulator, to mitigate these shortages.
Sain Bux Jamali, chairman of the Left Bank Canals Area Water Board, expressed the concerns of local farmers. “The canal does face serious water shortages often, and we are not able to supply irrigation water to our farmers when It’s needed,” Jamali said. “Initially, we were told that the canal’s section would be enhanced, but now we are told that the canal’s bed will be re-lined to save precious freshwater, and this saving will also help overcome the shortage in the canal’s command.”
Project officials estimate that re-lining the canal from RD-0 to RD-193 will save approximately 270 cusecs of freshwater. The rehabilitation also includes provisions for drainage to manage water pressure uplift, a feature absent from the original construction in the 1950s. Lining works will commence after the upcoming Kharif season to avoid disrupting water supply during peak agricultural demand.
