The River Indus traverses the whole of
Sukkur District, passing through the
gorge between Sukkur and Rohri. The importance of Indus water to the agriculture
of the whole of Sindh has long been recognized, and successive regimes have
endeavored to harness and utilize its flow, and to predict its flood. To
that end a system of canals has been built and enlarged over the centuries,
and in the past seventy years huge barrages have been erected. Canals are
of two types, inundation, i.e., seasonal, and perennial. The former are primarily
old river beds while the latter are artificial.
Management of water is of vital importance, hence gauges have been installed
to measure the flow continuously. Four of these gauges have been set up: at
Sukkur Island, in the middle of the river between
Sukkur and Rohri, in 1848;
at Din Belo in 1898; and two connected with the Sukkur Barrage (see below)at
the Outfall, four miles from Sukkur, in 1913, and at Goughal, eight miles
from Sukkur, in 1932. The tables below show the maximum readings, in feet,
for the decade 197 1-80 at these four gauges, and the length and designed
discharge capacity of the inundation canals in the District:
It is entirely under irrigational settlement. Most of the cultivation depends upon river spill water, inundation canals and tube wells.
The Kacha area within the river protective bunds is brought under cultivation during rabi season, which is termed as sailabi cultivation. Similarly the ragistan portion of Rohri taluka (tehsil) is brought under cultivation when there is good rain.
The shortage of water is generally experienced and it greatly hampers kharif cultivation.
