Indus River System Authority (Irsa) filled the country's biggest Tarbela dam on river Indus upto its maximum storage level of 1,550 ft on Monday while the second main dam Mangla on river Jhelum is just four feet below its highest level of 1210 ft above sea level.
Punjab Irrigation engineers told Business Recorder that the two strategic water reservoirs have been filled due to recent rains in the upper catchment areas of the rivers and low to medium flood in Sutlej river which allowed the Irsa to reduce water releases downstream the dams.
They said that as the Tarbela dam has been filled up to its maximum capacity Irsa is now releasing all the run of the river Indus water downstream the dam. The stored water in the dams will be utilised from 1st October to 30th April for sowing and maturing the winter crops including wheat, lentils, mustards, oil seeds, grams, fodder, vegetables etc.
Flood Forecasting Centre Lahore said that 2,21,000 cusecs water is flowing in river Indus at Tarbela dam, 2,51,200 cusecs at Kalabagh, 2,33,500 cusecs at Chashma, 157,100 cusecs at Taunsa, 1,06,000 cusecs at Guddu barrage, 69,000 cusecs at Sukkur and 30,000 cusecs water at the last barrage on mighty Indus, Kotri. Sindh irrigation engineers are releasing 28,400 cusecs water in the Indus delta downstream the Kotri barrage.
Meanwhile the water level in the upgraded Mangla Dam has risen to 1206 ft, 166 ft above its dead level of 1040 ft and just 4 ft below its maximum conservation level of 1210 ft. Last year Wapda had rejected the proposal to fill the dam up to 1210 ft level due to the chances of damage to the newly upgraded dam to the height of 1230 ft.
Punjab irrigation engineers told that presently 38.100 cusecs water is flowing into river Jhelum at Mangla dam, Irsa is retaining 28,000 cusecs in the reservoir and releasing 10.000 cusecs downstream the dam in the irrigation canals. They said Water and Power Development Authority had given go ahead signal to Irsa to fill the dam up to 1210 ft during the 2011 monsoon season which would enable the water regulatory body to store about 0.55 million acre ft more water in the reservoir for sowing and maturing the winter Kharif crops.
They said earlier the Mangla dam had the capacity to store 4.5 MAF water but now 5.05 MAF water could be conserved in the reservoir "When Wapda allows Irsa to fill Mangla dam up to 1,230 feet, the conservation capacity will be enhanced to 7.4 million acre feet of water and power generation to 1800 MW ", they added. About the present river flows, Flood Forecasting Centre has said that river Sutlej at G.S.Wala is in Medium Flood Level and at Sulemanki is in Low Flood Level, River Kabul at Nowshera is in Low Flood Level.
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