Historic low flows persist: Kotri barrage water supply stopped for Indus delta

The Sindh Irrigation has stopped outflow of fresh water from the Kotri Barrage into the downstream Indus Delta due to historic low flows in all the four rivers in the month of September. Wapda officials told Business Recorder here on Tuesday that Sindh province is currently using its share of 95,900 cusecs water from Indus River for irrigating the Kharif crops rice, cotton, sugarcane etc.
They said that of the 95,900 cusecs water inflow in the Guddu Barrage 25,000 cusecs is being released in the canals emanating from the barrage and 70,000 cusecs water is being discharged downstream towards Sukkur barrage. They said of the 67,000 cusecs water intake at the Sukkur barrage, the engineers are outflowing only 17,100 cusecs water downstream towards Kotri barrage, which is the last barrage on river Indus.
It may added that fresh water in the Indus river, below the Kotri Barrage is the lifeline of the Indus delta which, covers an area of some 600,000 hectares stretching about 200 km to South of Karachi to beyond the India-Pakistan border.
This is the largest area of mangrove forest in the world. However, not all of the area in the Indus delta is covered by mangrove forest. There are 17 major creeks, extensive mud flats and about 160,000 hectares of mangroves forests; of these about 50,000 hectares can be classified as dense mangrove stand.
Meanwhile, the discharge of 26,380 cusecs water which India released from Harike (India) in Sutlej river on Sunday entered Ganda Singh Wala on Tuesday evening. The position of the river inflows/outflows at Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma along with the reservoirs levels and the barrages on Tuesday was as under:
RIVERS: Indus at Tarbela inflows 54,800 cusecs and outflows 110,000 cusecs, Kabul at Nowshera inflows 11,900 cusecs and outflows 11,900 cusecs, Indus at Chashma inflows 143,200 cusecs and outflows 116,000 cusecs, Jhelum at Manala inflows 19,300 cusecs and outflows 40,000 cusecs, Chenab at Maraia inflows 16,200 cusecs and outflows 6000 cusecs.
BARRAGES: Jinnah Inflows 175,100 cusecs and outflows 167,400 cusecs, Chashma inflows 143,200 cusecs and outflows 116,000 cusecs, Taunsa inflows 116,100 cusecs and outflows 88,200 cusecs. Guddu inflows 95,900 cusecs and outflows 70,900 cusecs, Sukkur inflows 67,600 cusecs and outflows 17,100 cusecs, Kotri inflows 24,930 cusecs and outflows Nil.
RESERVOIRS LEVEL AND STORAGE: Tarbela level 1504.16 feet, live storage 4.372 Million Acre Feet (MAF) and dead level 1369.00 feet, Manqla level 1189.55 feet, live storage 3.872 MAF and dead level 1040 feet, Chashma level 643.00 feet, live storage 0.105 MAF and dead level 637 feet.
Talking to Business Recorder Punjab irrigation and agriculture extension services officials said that Punjab was facing more than 25 percent shortage of water at the maturity stage of the Kharif crops. However, Monday's moderate rains in the upper and central Punjab have greatly benefited the cotton and sugarcane crops.
RAINFALL RECORDED IN MM DURING THE PAST 24 HRS BY MET OFFICE: Lahore(Airport=89, City=06), Mianwali=66, Faisalabad=36, Noor Pur Thal=34, Dratian=17, Kamra=15, Islamabad(Airport=18, Zeropoint=16, Saidpur and Shamsabad=11 each, Golra=09, Bokra=06, Dhamial=05), Kotli and Chakri=14 each, Dir and Mangla=11 each, Kallar, Sharqpur and Ghariala=10 each, Jhelum and Sehrkakota=09 each, Daulatnagar, Okara and Attock=08 each, Multan and Palote=07 each, Marala (Downstream), Ura, Kakul, Palandri and Dhokpathan=06 each, Sialkot(Airport=05, City=01), Dara-e-Tang=05, Sarogdha(City=05, Airport=04), Mandi Bahauddin, Marala and Besham=04 each, Toba Tek Singh, Kohat and Kund=03 each, Zafarwal, Palku, Rawalakot, Baba Shah Jalal and Rohtas=02 each, Pattan, Bunji, Murree and Skardu=01 each.