The water flows in two major rivers, Indus and Jhelum have fallen to the lowest level in a decade owing to a sharp fall in temperatures in Skardu and other major sources of the rivers after pre-monsoon rains. Punjab Irrigation Engineers have expressed doubts over filling of the two main strategic water reservoirs Tarbela and Mangla to their capacity this year saying Pakistan depends on the Indus River which depends on melting snow from the Himalayas.
They said water flow in mighty Indus has fallen from 234,100 on July 1, to 140,000 cusecs on July 14, a daily decrease of almost 10,000 cusecs in the river. It may be added Tarbela dam has maximum storage capacity of 6.77 MAF water and the raised Mangla dam 5.5 MAF. The 12.2 MAF water is used from October 1, to April 1, for sowing of winter crops including wheat, grams, oil seeds, lentils, maize, vegetables, fodder for livestock
Punjab Irrigation Consultant M.H. Siddiqi told Business Recorder that as water flow rises early in river Jhelum, Mangla dam is filled 80 percent by June 30, every year. He said according to this schedule four million acre ft (MAF) water should have been stored in Mangla dam before July 1, whereas only 3.4 MAF water has been conserved in the dam till July 14, whereas water flow in river Jhelum has already dropped to 25,000 cusecs only.
Likewise, he said the water storage in Tarbela should have been 2.75 million acre feet (MAF), but till todate only 1.78 MAF water has been retained in the dam as about 10,000 more water is being discharged downstream the Tarbela dam than the upstream water inflow in the Indus river. Siddiqi said the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) had allocated more than 36 MAF to Punjab and 33.5 MAF water to Sindh province for sowing and maturing the 2011-12 Kharif crops cotton, , rice, sugarcane, maize, vegetables and fodder
HE said IRSA is releasing water to provinces in accordance with pre-approved shares and not on need or demand basis with the result Tarbela dam is touching dangerous low level. Punjab is presently drawing 116,000 cusecs water, 59,000 cusecs from the Indus Zone and 57,000 cusecs from Jhelum Zone whereas Sindh has been receiving 157,400 cusecs water at Guddu barrage.
He said it is an irony that though water flows in the river have fallen to the lowest level and a worst crisis is looming large for the winter crops, Sindh is discharging nearly 30,000 cusecs precious water downstream the Kotri barrage in the Arabian sea, he added.
It is learnt that IRSA has warned the provinces about water cut if water flow in the rivers does not increase. Punjab would have to draw more water from Mangla its withdrawals from Mangla in the coming days because if Tarbela dam was not filled it would be damaging for the Sindh and Punjab agriculture sectors.
According to July 13, rivers flows/ outflows and reservoirs level report of Water and Power Development Authority, 139,800 cusecs water is inflowing in river Indus upstream Tarbela and 150,000 cusecs water out flowing downstream Tarbela dam, in river Kabul at Nowshera, 34,000 cusecs , river Jhelum inflow 25,000 cusecs, outflow 15,000 cusecs and river Chenab 54,600 cusecs water is flowing. In Sindh province 157,400 cusecs water is flowing into Guddu barrage, 112,400 cusecs into Sukkur barrage and 67,311 cusecs into Kotri barrage. About 30,000 cusecs water is being discharge into the Indus delta / Arabian sea downstream the Kotri barrage
Meanwhile Punjab Water Council has expressed concern over the wastage of irrigation water at a time when the country is facing the worst water crisis during monsoon season. Talking to Business Recorder PWC convenor Farooque Bajwa said that precious river water belongs to the Pakistani nation and not to one province. If the dams are not filled now, even farmers of Sindh province will not be able to sow their strategic winter crops including wheat, oil seeds, lentils, vegetable and fodder for the livestock.
He said all the stakeholders, provincial irrigation departments, IRSA and farmers bodies should sit together and chalk out a strategy for economical and best use of the available water to sustain the agriculture sector which is backbone of Pakistan''s economy. He said that PWC is calling an emergent meeting of the stakeholders to discuss this serious crisis otherwise it would be too late.
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