Kotri Barrage Research Articles

Hydrological response to land use land cover and climate variability, and simulation of sediment export and water yield in the catchment Kotri Sindh Pakistan using Soil and Water Assessment tool model.

The water availability concerns have been increasing due to significant impacts of land use land cover change, and climate variability. In terms of developing countries, it is one of the biggest challenges to overcome and manage sustainability in the present and future. This study aims to evaluate the change in hydrological components and simulation of sediment yield and water yield on the large-scale basin of Kotri barrage with a change in runoff due to a change in land use land cover. This study has been done on the watershed as well as the sub-watershed level to have an accurate estimation and simulation by finding the response of hydrological components toward its natural and human-induced factors using the Soil and Water Assessment tool with high-resolution geospatial-temporal inputs over the Kotri catchment. The sediment and water yield were quantified using 42 years of simulation (1981-2022) on the sub-basin level, projected to land use land cover 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2022. The increase in deforestation, agriculture, and settlement areas resulted increase in sediment load in the catchment. The sub-basins 14, 11, 12, and 13, with a high elevation and slope and with less vegetation showed higher sediment load and water yield than the sub-basins with gentle slope and with high natural vegetation cover. The sub-basins 10, 4, and 1 showed high water yield availability compared to basins 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. This may be the result of vegetation differences. However, contained less sediment load than basins 14, 11, 12, and 13. The main objective was to quantify the significant changes affecting catchment and sub-catchment areas, to have a better understanding of the management plan regarding land use land cover. The simulated data was further projected to prediction using machine algorithms (autoregressive integrated moving average) model for precipitation prediction, and (seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average with exogenous factors) model to predict the sediment yield and water yield in the catchment to 2060.

Ecological Risks Assessment Arising from the Atmospheric Deposition of Heavy Metals in the River Indus Near Kotri Barrage, Sindh, Pakistan

ABSTRACT This study aims to assess ecological risks from heavy metal atmospheric deposition in the Indus River at Kotri Barrage, Sindh, Pakistan. Monitoring occurred at four locations, yielding 40 air samples analyzed for heavy metals via Triple Quadrupole Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (TQ-ICP-MS). Pollution indicators, including Contaminant Factor (CF), Degree of Contamination (CD), Geo-accumulation Index (Igeo), Enrichment Factor (EF), Pollution Load Index (PLI), Potential Ecological Risk Index (PERI), and Nemerow Integrated Pollution Index (NIPI), quantified contaminant levels. Air monitoring revealed PM2.5 concentrations exceeding regulatory guidelines at all four sites. Heavy metal mean concentrations ranked as follows: Fe > Cr > Pb > Mn > As > Cu > Ni > Cd > Mo > Co, and deposition fluxes followed this order: Fe > Pb > Cr > Mn > As > Cu > Ni > Cd > Mo > Co. Pollution indices indicated moderate to extreme pollution for Fe, Cr, Cd at all sites, and Pb at site D. Emissions from a nearby coal-fired power plant and vehicular sources were identified as primary contributors to high heavy metal deposition. The Ecological Risk Index ranged from 150 to 600, signifying substantial ecological risk linked to Cd. These findings offer crucial insights for governmental agencies and policymakers to address pollution issues arising from heavy metal atmospheric deposition in the Indus River near Kotri Barrage.

Analysing and evaluating environmental flows through hydrological methods in the regulated Indus River Basin

AbstractEnvironmental flows (EFs), essential for upholding the ecological integrity of rivers and aquatic habitats, have been disrupted significantly by diverting water for agricultural, industrial and domestic uses. This underscores the imperative of implementing sustainable water resource management to harmonize agricultural and environmental needs. The study was conducted in the Indus River Basin (IRB), a region extensively transformed by human interventions. EFs were determined through various techniques, including the flow duration curve shifting method, flow duration curve analysis, low‐flow indices, the Tennant method, the Smakhtin approach, the Tessmann method and the Pastor method. Analysing the estimated EFs alongside downstream flows unveiled specific timeframes (days, months and seasons) of unmet EF requirements. To safeguard the downstream ecosystems, the following EFs were estimated for the respective locations: 880 m3/s (38% of the mean annual flow [MAF]) for the Indus River at Tarbela Dam, 412 m3/s (48% of the MAF) for the Jhelum at Mangla Dam, 425 m3/s (44% of the MAF) for the Chenab at Marala headworks, 389 m3/s (56% of MAF) for the Ravi at Balloki headworks, 184 m3/s (50% of MAF) for the Sutlej at Sulemanki headworks and 231 m3/s (38% of MAF) below Kotri Barrage. The study revealed that violations of EFs occurred 41%, 43%, 44% and 52% of the time during the study period for the Chenab at Marala headworks, the Ravi at Balloki headworks, the Sutlej at Sulemanki headworks and the Indus River at the Kotri Barrage, respectively. The results highlighted that the Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej rivers are particularly susceptible to vulnerability, as the estimated EFs were not consistently upheld in these rivers. These findings underscore the urgent need to take appropriate measures to ensure EFs are not violated, thus safeguarding the downstream ecosystems.

Impact of Sediment Deposition on Flood Carrying Capacity of an Alluvial Channel: A Case Study of the Lower Indus Basin

Impacts of climate change and human-made interventions have altered the fluvial regime of most rivers. The increasingly uncertain floods would further threaten the flow delivery system in regions such as Pakistan. In this study, an alluvial reach of the Indus River below Kotri barrage was investigated for the geomorphologic effects of sediments deposited over the floodplain as well as the influences on the downstream flood-carrying capacity. The hydrodynamic modeling suite HEC-RAS in combination with ground and remotely sensed data were used to undertake this analysis. Results suggest that the morphology of the river reach has degraded due to depleted flows over a long period and hydrological extremes that have led to excessive sediment deposition over the floodplain and an enhancement in flood water extension possibility over the banks. A deposition of 4.3 billion cubic meters (BCM) of sediment increased the elevation of the channel bed which in turn reduced a 17.75% flood-carrying capacity of the river reach. Moreover, the excessive deposition of sediments and the persistence of low flows have caused a loss of 48.34% bank-full discharges over the past 24 years. Consequently, the river’s active reach has been flattened, with a live threat of left levee failure and the inundation of the populous city of Hyderabad. The study would gain insights into characterizing the impacts associated with a reduction in the flood-carrying capacity of the alluvial channel on account of the inadequate sediment transport capacity after heavy flow regulations.

Management Options for Large Metropolitans on the Verge of a Water Stress

Karachi is the largest metropolitan area in Pakistan and houses about 14.91 million people (2017 census). It is the industrial hub and financial capital of Pakistan, but unfortunately, it is facing the worst water crisis in its history. Pakistan is bestowed with extensive water resources, but making use of them requires a paradigm shift in water policy and management. Karachi is facing a water crisis situation over the period of three decades, not due to the shortage of natural resources but to mismanagement on the part of the planners and managers, and the situation is getting worse with no imminent solution in sight. The present additional drinking water demand of Karachi has been estimated to be around 650 MGD (260+390) by the Karachi Water & Sewerage Board (KW&SB). This study accesses the water availability in surface water resources, i.e., the Indus River, in consideration of the requisite water demand of Karachi. There exists a mechanism for water transmission from the Indus River to Karachi at the Kotri Barrage. Being located at the tail of Indus, Kotri Barrage (last barrage before outfall into the sea) faces the two extremes in terms of system water availability: in wet season (monsoon), the system happens to be at the mercy of disastrous floods whereas, there is extreme water shortage during the dry months. In this paper, a sustainable water management plan has been devised for managing the additional water needs of Karachi throughout the year. The proposed plan recommends the diversion of additional flows from the Indus River at Kotri (from the water being wasted into the sea), and these flows have been routed through and stored in already existing infrastructure of the KW&SB, i.e., the Kalri Baghar Feeder Upper (KBFU) canal system and Keenjhar, Haleji, and Hadero Lakes. A further scenario-based integrated reservoir operation study presents the optimal use of available flows and storage capacities. In addition, filling and depletion mechanism of available storages has also been proposed and in all the analysed scenarios due consideration has been given to the environmental flows requirement of downstream Kotri riparian and irrigation indents of KBFU system. Hence, the proposed action plan ensures the availability of requisite flows to meet the drinking water needs of Krachi Metropolitan. Doi: 10.28991/HEF-2022-03-03-06 Full Text: PDF

Legal Framework to Control at Disposal Point Source Urban and Industrial Effluents of Hyderabad City into Pinyari (Old Phulleli) Canal off-taking from Kotri Barrage, Sindh

Legal Framework to Control at Disposal Point Source Urban and Industrial Effluents of Hyderabad City into Pinyari (Old Phulleli) Canal off-taking from Kotri Barrage, Sindh

Legal Framework to Control at Disposal Point Source Urban and Industrial Effluents of Hyderabad City into Pinyari (Old Phulleli) Canal off-taking from Kotri Barrage, Sindh

Pinyari (old Phulleli) canal off-takes from left bank of Kotri barrage is last Hydraulic structure on Indus river. This canal is passing from periphery of Hyderabad city and its design discharge is 13,636 cusecs which supplies fresh water not only for agricultural, industrial purpose and drinking purpose for the several towns and villages because groundwater in its command area is highly saline and not drinkable. The cottage factories and Hyderabad industrial area are located on nearby banks of canal. Hence, effluents from city and industrial SITE area are directly disposed off into the canal. The disposal of untreated wastewater created health and environmental safety problem. This paper presents that the analyzed results of water quality parameter ie pH, TDS, EC, Na, hardness, K, Mg, Mn, DO and BOD of collacted samples exhibit TDS 6%, K 20%, DO 67% and BOD 54%, respectively exceeded permissible limit. While pH, Na, hardness and Mn found within prescribed limits. Total coliform /E.coli (MPN/100ml) were found positive. Furthermore, the result of Water Quality Index (WQI) model reveals that water quality of canal of collected samples varies from excellent to very poor that reveals canal water is unsuitable for drinking purpose and aquatic life and also causes various waterborne diseases. Therefore, the local people are facing serious health problem by consuming water canal. With an attempt to ensure enforcement of environmental water laws in Sindh province of Pakistan for preventing degrading clean water. These environmental water laws have already been framed, but due to lake of enforcement, water pollution problems are increasing day by day. The enforcement of environmental water laws are very essential to control water pollution for safety of human health, and ecology in Sindh, Pakistan.

Morphological evolution of Indus shelf region under the influence of hydrodynamic conditions in 20th century

Indus shelf region, located offshore of the Indus delta, is characterized by several unique and diversified features with dynamic potential of expansion and regression.The growth of this subaqueous part of Indus Delta is the result of the enormous amount of sediments discharge from the Indus River since the Oligocene period. Intervention in the natural flow of the Indus River System (IRS) in the 20th century, due to water diversion and water storage activities on the IRS has created many changes on the continental shelf and shelf-slope in the offshore Indus Delta. The available data of sediment discharge from the Kotri barrage and other previous studies provide information that sediment discharge in natural waterflow conditions before the half of the 20th century was more than 250 million (106) tones per year, but after the construction of canals, barrages and dams in upstream area of the IRS, a gradual declining trend was occurred in the flow of water and sediment discharge.Morphological changes those occurred over the shelf of delta in the 20th century have been evaluated using geoinformatic approach. Two bathymetry maps of the 19th and 20th centuries were used in view to determine the temporal difference on the continental shelf. Ten cross-sections were drawn on both the bathymetry maps in northeast-southwest direction. Profiles from the cross-section of both periods have been developed to analyze the temporal variation on the continental shelf of the offshore Indus Delta. Sediment accumulation was found from 1895 to 1995 on the western edge of the shelf and erosional activities on some places were also noted from the eastern profiles of the continental shelf. Low depth near the coast observed from the map of later period indicates the process of accretion activities near the shore. General trend shows morphologically changes in the shelf region.

Appraisal of hydro-ecology, geomorphology, and sediment behavior during low and high floods in the Lower Indus River Estuary

AbstractThe riverine ecosystem is reliant on freshwater; however, morphological changes and sediment load destabilize the natural river system which deteriorates the ecology and geomorphology of the river ecosystem. The Lower Indus River Estuary (LIRE) geomorphological response was synthesized using satellite imagery (1986–2020) and evaluated against the field measurements. The estuary sinuosity index has an increasing trend from 1.84 (1986) to 1.92 (2020) and the estuary water area is increased from 101.41 km2 (1986) to 110.24 km2 (2020). The sediment load investigation at Kotri barrage indicated that the median size of bed material samples during the low-flow period falls between 0.100 and 0.203 mm and the bed material after the high flow has clay and silt (<0.0623 mm) ranging from 17–95% of the total weight of samples. The vegetated land loss on the banks is positively correlated with the peak runoff at Kotri barrage (r2=0.92). The bank erosion was computed with high precision (r2=0.84) based on an improved connection of the coefficient of erodibility and excess shear stress technique. This study will be helpful for policymakers to estimate the ecological health of LIRE, and sediment fluxes play an essential role in the mega-delta system and coastal management.

Assessment of variation in water quality at Right Bank Outfall Drain, including Manchar lake, Sindh, Pakistan

ABSTRACT Right Bank Outfall Drain (RBOD) is a drainage canal being built on the right side of river Indus, Sindh Pakistan and will carry saline water from Balochistan and Northern Sindh to Arabian Sea coast. It is still at different stages for completion. Thirteen samples were collected from RBOD III and RBOD I (Hairdin Pumping Stations, Balochistan to Sehwan, Manchar lake, Sindh), and a reference sample was collected from river Indus at Kotri Barrage. The sampling scheme was repeated three times in 2009 and 11 samples were collected from RBOD I during 2018. The water samples were analysed for about 27–41 different parameters, including physicochemical, cations, anions, trace metals and the presence of microbiological organisms. The variation in the water quality was examined pre- and post-monsoon season and flows of water at Kotri Barrage. A significant variation was observed in quality of water pre and post monsoon. Higher concentrations were reported during pre-monsoon season. The water quality index (WQI) indicated that most of the samples were within poor water category for both drinking and irrigation purposes. Gibb’s diagrams demonstrated that evaporation was dominant (85.7%) on the hydrochemistry of the water samples. The Cd, Pb, Ni, Cr and As crossed the permissible limits at a number of sampling stations. The water samples were also examined for multivariate analysis including principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis, piper diagrams and coefficient of variation. Chloride (Cl−) and sodium were dominant, followed by calcium, magnesium, sulphate and bicarbonate. The average values of analyses (n = 4) indicated RSD within 4.0%. The samples were examined for possible use for irrigation and 53–92% samples collected from RBOD (n = 14) were within unsuitable category for irrigation.

Statistical analysis and physicochemical characteristics of groundwater ‎quality parameters: a case study

ABSTRACT The assessment of groundwater quality was carried out by taking the shallow wells samples near the bank of River Indus at the downstream Kotri barrage; the study area covers the arid region of Hyderabad, Sindh. The space occupied by the wells was about 1-2 km used for the quantification of geochemical characteristics of the shallow aquifer that lies on the left side of the river. A total of 13 groundwater samples were collected during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. All the groundwater samples were examined for the characterisation of physicochemical parameters such as Total Dissolved Solids ranged from 320 mg/l to 4011 mg/l, Total Hardness ranged from 120 mg/l to 1320 mg/l, Chloride ranged from 160 mg/l to 2260 mg/l, Sulphate ranged from 61 mg/l to 777 mg/l, pH ranged from 6.9 to 8.1. The findings of the study demonstrate the presence of high quantity physicochemical parameters at a shallow aquifer in contrast to guidelines values by the World Health Organization (WHO) for drinking water. Besides, the T-value was applied to check the variation in pre- and post-monsoon results between parameters, which found significant for chloride 2.701 with p-value 0.031, for fluoride 3.039 with p-value 0.019 and for iron 2.957 with p-value 0.021. Moreover, Correlation coefficients among different parameters were determined which showed that as the correlations between parameters become weaker it also becomes insignificant. An attempt has been made to develop linear regression equations to predict the concentration of water quality constituents. A significantly positive correlation at 1 and 5% found between many parameters. The total hardness with 0.969, chloride with 0.988, and sulphate with 0.994 values were found significant using the conventional level of significance (0.05). However, no apparent changes were visualised in the quality of water during the onset of pre- and post-monsoon seasons over the year.

The Impact of environmental changes on indigenous agriculture in the Indus Delta Pakistan: a spatio-temporal assessment

Indus Delta was historically recognized as a fertile land for agriculture, but for the last few decades, land degradation, affecting agriculture, is a burning issue in rural society of delta. This situation consequently affected the socioeconomic conditions of the people. The impact on indigenous agriculture was examined from three aspects: (i) evaluating to what extent land was submerged by sea intrusion, (ii) assessing diminution of arable land during the study period from 1997–1998 to 2007–2008, and (iii) estimating losses in yield per acre of different crops. Its adverse human impacts and the fundamental reason for environmental degradation were also the main objectives of the study. It is found from the results of this study that about 60% of the coastal sub-districts have been submerged by sea intrusion. The data until 2007–2008 shows that the average 90% of cultivated land in coastal sub-districts has not been able to be cultivated. According to survey, the average annual income from wheat and rice on appropriate cultivated land is 45,000/-rupees from three acres of land which makes daily income of 125 rupees ($2.08). Drastic depletion of water flow and sediment discharge from Kotri Barrage to the delta due to the construction of large water reservoirs and canal network in the upstream part of the country and the consequent sea intrusion impact on coast are the main causes of deteriorated conditions over the deltaic region. Enough quantity of water for the delta as well as for the sea could rehabilitate the deteriorated land and improve the environmental and socioeconomic conditions of the people.

Fish Health Assessment in Relation to Sex and Season: Haematological Variations and Serum Biochemical Constituents of Labeo rohita (Hamilton, 1822) from Kotri Barrage near Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan

Fish Health Assessment in Relation to Sex and Season: Haematological Variations and Serum Biochemical Constituents of Labeo rohita (Hamilton, 1822) from Kotri Barrage near Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan

Impact of Encroachment and Hyderabad City Effluents on Pinyari Canal

Pinyari canal off-takes from the left bank of Kotri barrage with a design discharge of 13,636 cusecs which passes through the ridge of Hyderabad city along with New Fuleli Canal and Akram Wah on its left side. Its water is used for irrigation, agriculture, industrial, domestic, and drinking purposes in Hyderabad and Sajawal districts in Sindh. This canal is non-perennial. Water is being released with low discharge only for drinking purposes during the dry season and with full supply in the wet season. The global water quality issue reflects the major impact of socioeconomic development and population growth changes on freshwater resources including canals and rivers. This paper presents the impact of untreated wastewater disposal to the canal. The practice of disposing of untreated effluents has created serious health and environmental problems for the locals. The statistical and geospatial tool GIS has been used for the assessment of water quality with visualization of wastewater behavior in the canal. The results of the statistical analysis showed that pH was within the permissible limits but Electric Conductivity (EC), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Sodium (Na), and Hardness exceed them. The Water Quality Index of the samples rated from very poor to unsuitable for drinking, hence, canal water is unfit for domestic use or drinking purposes.

Impact of the Effluents of Hyderabad City, Tando Muhammad Khan, and Matli on Phuleli Canal Water

The demand and supply of safe water is a basic need. The consumption of clean water intensified with population growth and economic development which in turn cause degradation of available freshwater resources while creating huge volumes of wastewater, solid waste, and serious environmental problems. This paper presents the impact of disposing of domestic/industrial effluents into an irrigation canal. The subsequent contamination of the canal water becomes a public health risk. The non-perennial Phuleli canal with a discharge of 15,026 cusecs, takes in water from the left bank of Kotri Barrage, which is the last controlling hydraulic structure on the Indus River. This canal runs from the periphery of Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan (TM Khan) and Matli cities and supplies water for domestic, agricultural, and industrial activities. The canal water is the only source of drinking water for millions of people because the groundwater in the command area of the canal is highly saline. The banks on both sides of the canal have encroached in cities’ areas. The huge volume of solid waste and municipal and industrial wastewater from these cities and from the occupied canal banks are dumped directly into the canal without any treatment. The collected samples’ were analyzed for pH, EC, TDS, Cl, SO4, HCO3, hardness, Na, K, Ca, and Mg. These results show higher than permissible limits as per NEQS and WHO. The Karl Pearson matrix correlation of parameters reveals strong relation among EC with TDS and CL with SO4, Mg with K and moderated relationship among the other parameters except for pH and DO. Water Quality Index (WQI) model indicates that the water quality of the canal is poor and unfit for drinking. Hence the consumption of canal water is a high potential health risk for locals.

Spatio-temporal investigation of groundwater quality variation employing nested piezometers downstream of Kotri Barrage toward the Indus Delta

Spatio-temporal investigation of groundwater quality variation employing nested piezometers downstream of Kotri Barrage toward the Indus Delta

Growth Pattern and Morphological Variation of Labeo calbasu Found in Indus River, Sindh-Pakistan

The present work reports the length–weight relationships (LWR) and condition factor relationships for Labeo calbasu collected from Upstream (Matyari) Kotri barrage at, River Indus, Pakistan, because stock assessment helps the fisheries managers to conserve the commercially important fish. Morphological characters of fish as well as Length-weight relationship are an important tool for fishery management. The results of LWR (W= aLb), for L calbasu. Representing negative allometric growth pattern. LWRs and condition factor relationships were found significantly correlated. A total of 200 and 190 specimens from upstream and downstream were collected, respectively. The assessed values of length-weight correlation and condition factor were calculated as Kn=39.663 (LeCren), and K=11.915 (Fulton) for upstream and Kn=44.066 and K=13.872 for downstream. Length-weight was found with a strong correlation of n= 2.892, a=0.0235 with r2=0.934 for upstream population then the downstream population. The results of this work would be beneficial for sustainable management as well as fishery managers.

Spatio-temporal Land use/cover assessment of Sub-Tropical Forests ofThatta Division

The deterioration of forests has contributed to greenhouse effect on massive scale, during last four decades and related regional climatic changes and rapid disappearance of natural landscapes left unattended will cause no sign of forests in the past. The integrated remote sensing technology applied to assess forest resources cover information regarding health and related problems and depended factors such as rural population, livestock and wildlife. The main focus of this study is to quantitatively assess deforestation to evaluate forest cover change from 1979 to 2010. The employment of space borne Landsat MSS and TM sensor (multi-spectrum sensor & thematic Mapper) technology is used to analyze forests patterns and Maximum Likelihood Algorithm is applied for quantitative assessment. This study was also conducted to carry out field survey in Thatta riverine forest from Kotri barrage to Arabian Sea and three hundred samples were collected from different locations using GPS device (global positioning system) the results of remote sensing satellite imagery helped to find out significant changes in Thatta forests cover from 1979 to 2010. The forests cover in 1979 was 35.11%, 1992 29.14%, 1998 8.10%, 2000 5.56%, 2006 2.57%, 2009 1.96%, 2009-12 3.02% and 2010 2.23% the overall change observed in forests area 89.07%. The field survey revealed that the main causes of deforestation asconstruction of dams/barrages on the upper streams to produce hydroelectric power and irrigation purpose which significantly reduction in the discharge of fresh water into the lower Indus basin. The reduction in flood caused severe erosion of the Indus Delta; the sea water has been encroached the Indus basin and livestock population increased grazing load and illegal tree cutting; these main causes directly impacted on natural sub- tropical forests and also effected rural population which depended on forests produced. All these uncontrolled situations have been creating environmental, climatically, social and economical problems direct impacted on Indus region and these changes threatening Indus Eco-region system.

An Assessment of the Pakistan Water Apportionment Accord of 1991

The Water Apportionment Accord (WAA) of Pakistan was instituted in 1991 to allocate Indus River water among Pakistan’s provinces. This paper assesses the performance of the WAA in terms of the accord’s ability to meet the barrages’ and environmental demands in the Lower Indus Basin. Use of metrics as assessment tools in water security and climate adaptation is an important field, with the potential to inform sustainable management policy. Reliability, resiliency, and vulnerability are used as indicators to define the system’s performance against supply. The results indicate from the pre-Accord period to the post-Accord period, the reliability of Guddu Barrage (the upstream-most barrage in the study) is not changed. However, at Sukkur and Kotri, the most downstream barrage in the study, reliability has significantly decreased. The Results reveal the high vulnerability of the Indus delta in Rabi season when the flows decline and the majority of the water at the Kotri Barrage is diverted.

Environmental Impact Assessment of the Tidal Link Failure and Sea Intrusion on Ramsar Site No. 1069

This paper presents the impact on the RAMSAR site No. 1069 that receives fresh water by the Kotri drainage system. At present, the complex faces threats by effluents from the Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD) system and from saline seawater intrusion during high tides. These threats have destroyed the ecosystem of the lakes Cholari, Mehro, Pateji and Sanhro belonging to the complex. The total present lake area, maintained at the Cholari weir crest level, is about 170km2. The lakes are expanding, available data shows that there is an increase up to 700% in the original lakes’ area, from 6058 to 41220 acres from 1954 to 1977. This is mainly caused by the operation of Kotri Barrage surface drainage system and has positive impact on lakes’ ecology because the drainage effluent is of marginal salinity. The rapid increase in the lakes’ area, of about 40% within 2 years after the functioning of the Tidal Link with saline effluents from LBOD and sea intruded water have changed the ecology of the area. This posed a significant impact on the ecosystem. Conversely, a similar rise in water level due to sea intrusion has nearly doubled the surface area and reposed a negative impact on the system. These lakes were giving shelter to a wide variety of local and migratory birds and had aquatic biodiversity. Hence, parts of Sanhro and Mehro dhands have been recognized by the RAMSAR Convention