Rains improve water availability for Rabi crops

The past three days of rains /thunderstorms with snowfall over the hills in Khyber Pakhtoonkhawa, upper Punjab, North Balochistan, Gilgit Baltistan/Kashmir have improved water availability for Rabi crops by six percent till April 1, 2011.
Talking to Business Recorder here on Monday Punjab Irrigation Canals regulator M H Siddiqui said the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) while distributing available water in the reservoirs to the provinces under 1991 Water Accord had intimated that there would be 12 percent shortage of water for sowing and maturing the Rabi crops from October 1, 2010 till April 1, 2011.
However, he said the current good spell of rains in KP, upper Punjab, Balochistan, GB and Kashmir has reduced the shortage from 12 percent to 6 percent and winter crops of upper and central Punjab have received the second critical watering for their growth. Siddiqui said after opening of all perennial irrigation canals on February, 5 Punjab is receiving about 44,000 cusecs water, 14,000 cusecs from Indus zone and 30,000 cusecs from the Mangla zone to irrigate wheat, oilseeds, grams, lentils, vegetables, fodders etc mostly in south Punjab.
According to Meteorological department rain occurred in various parts of the country as under during the past 24 hours: Pattan =121 (MM) Garhi Dupatta =81, Bunji =63, Islamabad Z/P =60, Saidu Sharif=51, Balakot =50, Kotli=49, Kakul =46, L.Dir & Muzaffarabad =43, Risalpur =36, Drosh=31, Gilgit =29, Rawlakot =28, Chitral & M.B.din =27(each), Dir =26, Sialkot A/P=20, Sialkot=18, Kamra =13, Lahore A/P=11, Okara=09, Faisalabad & Murree=08(each), Lahore city =07, Kalam=06,T.T.Singh=05, Chillas & Quetta =04(each), Multan, Sahiwal & Islamabad A/P =03(each), D.G.Khan ,Samungli & Chakwal =02(each), Mangla, Peshawar City,Mirkhani, Skardu & Bhakkar =01(each), Jhelum, Multan, Sargodha & D.I.Khan =Trace (each).
Met office forecast rain with snowfall over the hills at scattered places of Gilgit-Baltistan at isolated places of upper Khyber Pakhtoonkhawah. Rainfall is also expected at isolated places of north, north east Punjab. Meanwhile, February 7 rivers flows and reservoirs level report of Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) indicated that water inflows in the four live livers of the country have increased by nearly 15,000 cusecs at their rim stations after the current spell of winter rains.
In river Indus at Tarbela on Monday the water inflow was 23,500 cusecs, river Kabul at Nowshera 15,000 cusecs, river Jhelum at Mangla 9.500 cusecs, and river Chenab at Marala 6,600 cusecs. The Indus River System Authority is releasing 50,000 cusecs from Tarbela dam, 23,000 cusecs from Mangla dam, 15,000 cusecs run of the river Kabul water and 6,600 cusecs water of river Chenab into the canal irrigation network across the country for irrigation and hydel power generation purposes.
The inflow at Jinnah barrage on river Indus is 55,300 cusecs, Chashma 61,800 cusecs, Taunsa 43,600 cusecs, Panjnad 8,200 cusecs, Guddu 29,600 cusecs, Sukkur 24,700 cusecs, and Kotri Barrage 8,820 cusecs water, Sindh Irrigation department is releasing nearly 20,000 cusecs water into the irrigation canals off-taking from the repaired Sukkur barrage.
The report said that besides run of the river water there is still 3 MAF water available in the three main reservoirs, Tarbela 2.006 MAF, Mangla 0.935 MAF and Chashma 0.018 MAF which is adequate to irrigate the crops till 1st April 2011.