Sindh Irrigation Department seeks over Rs770m for 2025 flood-fighting works as experts call for an independent audit amid questions over expenditure.
KARACHI, PAKISTAN — WEB DESK: The Sindh Irrigation Department has sought approval for more than Rs770 million in liabilities linked to emergency “flood-fighting” works carried out during 2025, prompting calls for greater scrutiny of the expenditure after the province did not experience a major flood emergency that year.
According to a departmental summary the Irrigation Department has approached the Sindh chief minister for approval of more than Rs770 million for works described as part of “Flood Fighting 2025.”
The expenditure was reviewed through a process involving a committee headed by Chief Engineer Junaid Talpur. A central technical committee subsequently cleared the claimed expenditure, while chief engineers reportedly certified the bills.
However, sources cited in the reports alleged that some of the works listed in official documents were either not carried out or had their costs overstated. These remain allegations and have not been established through an independent audit or official investigation.
The Irrigation Department has defended its demand for additional funding by citing significant increases in the prices of cement, steel and diesel following changes in construction rates. Officials argue that higher input costs made additional funding necessary.
Questions have nevertheless been raised over the scale of the expenditure given that Sindh did not face a major flood emergency during the period in question.
Mir Abdul Karim Talpur, information secretary of the Sindh Chamber of Agriculture, called for an independent third-party audit of the projects and suggested using satellite imagery to determine whether the listed works had actually been completed.
The controversy comes against a broader funding challenge facing Sindh’s irrigation network. The departmental summary says around Rs100 billion is required for regional maintenance during fiscal year 2025-26, while the Finance Department has released Rs32.543 billion, roughly 32% of the amount sought.
Earlier reporting also showed that irrigation officials had warned before the 2026 monsoon that some protective dykes required urgent strengthening and that liabilities for emergency flood-fighting works from previous years remained unpaid.
Attempts by the original reporters to obtain comments from Irrigation Secretary Zareef Khero and Technical Committee Chairman Riaz Shah were unsuccessful.
The available evidence therefore establishes that the department is seeking payment of the liabilities and that questions have been raised about the spending. It does not, at this stage, establish that funds were misappropriated or that officials committed wrongdoing.
