The Punjab Irrigation Department has reopened perennial canals in Central Punjab after significant improvement in the water inflows in the Mangla Dam from 15,000 cusecs to 37,800 cusecs following good rains in the upper regions of the country.
Punjab Irrigation Consultant M H Siddiqui told Business Recorder that the much needed water inflows at the rim stations of the four live rivers have gone up from 65,000 cusecs to 1,11400 cusecs the highest in the first decade of the 21st Century. The Mangla dam that has reached its dead level of 1040 ft a couple of days earlier has now risen by five feet adding live storage of 0.058 MAF water on Tuesday.
He said keeping in view these satisfactory water inflows, the irrigation department has increased the Mangla dam outflows from 25,000 cusecs to 30,000 cusecs and reopened the lower Jhelum canal with a discharge of 3,000 cusecs of water. All canals of district Gujrat have been reopened and water discharge in Upper Chenab canal has been increased from 7,000 cusecs to 8,000 cusecs. Water release in Thal canal in Indus zone has also been increased from 3,000 to 5,000 cusecs, he added.
He said the Indus River System Authority is releasing 62,800 cusecs water in the Indus zone, (Indus 40,000 cusecs, river Kabul 22,800 cusecs) for irrigating wheat and other crops of the four provinces, especially of Sindh, which needed water in larger quantities for final watering of its wheat crop.
The precious water inflows in the four rivers on Tuesday was Indus 39,700 cusecs, Kabul 22,800 cusecs, Jhelum 37,800 cusecs and Chenab 11,100 cusecs. It may be added that after depletion of water stored in the two water Reservoirs, Terbala and Mangla, resulting into the lowest power generation from the 6500 MW capacity hydel power Units on the system, Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) was planning 5 to 6 hours daily load shedding. However, since the water situation has improved, PEPCO can also put off its load-shedding schedule for some time.
Director General Agriculture Extension Services Punjab Dr Anjum Ali told this scribe that the increased water inflows will great help farmers of Gujranwala, Lahore, Faisalabad and Sargodha division to give third and the final fourth watering to the wheat and other Rabi crops till their harvesting in the middle of next month.
He said that these rains have provided enough water to the people of Rawalpindi division and other Barani areas of upper Punjab for storage in ponds for animals goats, sheep and other cattle. The Meteorological department recorded following rains at various places of upper regions of the country: on Tuesday. Balakot 19.4 mm, Pattan 18 mm, Dir 17 mm, Skardu 15.2 mm Kalam 6.5 mm, Muzaffarabad 5.6 mm, Astore 4.2 mm, Chitral 3.4 mm, Saidu Sharif 3.3. mm, Drosh 2.2 mm and Rawalakot, Kaku 2 mm.
NATIONAL WEATHER OUTLOOK In its daily national weather outlook, the Met office said that a fresh westerly is likely to enter Balochistan from tonight and likely to spread to upper parts from March 3 and may persist for two to three days.
In Punjab mainly dry weather is expected during next 24 hours and scattered rain with thundershower expected in upper and central Punjab including Islamabad from March 3 (Evening/Night) for 24 to 36 hours with occasional gaps. In NWFP: mainly dry weather is expected during next 12-18 hours and Rain/thundershower with snowfall over the hills is expected at scattered places of upper NWFP, especially in Malakand, Hazara and Peshawar divisions during March 3 and 4.
In Sindh: dry weather is expected in most parts of the province during next few days however, light rain in the central areas is also likely at few places during next 24 hours. In Balochistan: rain with thundershower expected at scattered places in the province during tonight and may continue up to Wednesday morning. In Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: rain/thundershower with snowfall over the hills is expected at scattered places from 3rd March (evening) to March 4 (night).
Comments
Comments are closed.