At a time when the crucial Rabi crops are facing up to 20 percent water shortage in the month of March, the ongoing spell of spring rains has increased running water in the four live rivers by more than 20,000 cusecs largely off-setting the bad effects of prolonged dry weather in the months of December and January.
Punjab Irrigation Engineers told Business Recorder here on Tuesday that water inflow in the mighty Indus had increased from 26,000 cusecs to 31,100 cusecs at Tarbela dam, in the River Kabul at Nowshera from 21,000 cusecs to 31,600 cusecs, in the River Jhelum at Mangla from 38,000 cusecs to 41,300 cusecs. Water level in the Mangla dam has gone up to 1,100 ft from 1,085 ft and more than 0.8 MAF water is available in the Tarbela and Mangla reservoirs to meet irrigation water needs and generation of cheap hydel power till March 31.
Meanwhile, rain-thunderstorm (with snow over the hills) occurred at scattered places of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Lahore, Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar divisions, Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan, while at isolated places of Multan, Bahawalpur, D G Khan and Kohat divisions on Monday/Tuesday.
Rain was recorded at Murree 69 mm, Dir 54, Kakul 52, Malamjabba 49 Muzaffarabad 40, Saidu Sharif 34, Lower Dir 33, Garhi Dupatta 30, Drosh 29, Balakot 28, Pattan 27, Rawalakot 26, Chitral 22, Mangla and Mirkhani 20, Rawalpindi 19, Risalpur 17, Kalam and Islamabad 16, Sialkot, Sargodha and Kotli 14, Chirat 13, Chakwal 12, Jhang 11, Jhelum and Lahore 10, Astore and Kakul 08.
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