The Punjab Provincial Development Working Party has approved construction of Head Regulator on Lala Creek of river Indus at the cost of Rs 731.398 million to protect more than 200 villages of district Layyah from recurring floods during monsoon season.

The scheme was approved in the 27th meeting of PDWP, of current fiscal year 2017-18 presided over by Chairman P&D Muhammad Jahanzeb Khan. Secretary P&D Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, all members of the Planning & Development Board, Provincial Secretaries concerned, and other senior representatives of the relevant Provincial Departments also attended the meeting.

The 30 mile riverine belt of the Indus River Lala Creek flows along western borders of Layyah city, washes away crops on thousands of acres and hundreds of villages during flood season. Around 150,000 cusecs of water flow through Lala Creek during flood in the river Indus.

After the super floods in 2010, the irrigation department had done nothing to regulate flow of water in Lala Creek. However after a lapse of 7 year the Punjab Government included this flood protection project in its 2017-18 annual development programme.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017