The Indus River System Authority (IRSA) has allocated about 19 MAF water to Punjab to be drawn from 15th October 2014 to 31st March 2015 for sowing, growing, and maturing the Rabi crops including wheat, grams, oilseeds, lentils, sunflower, mustards vegetables, fodder for live stock and orchards.
Punjab canal regulator Engineer M. H. Siddiqui told Business Recorder here on Tuesday there would be minimal shortage of 4 percent vis-à-vis historical usages of water by the provinces this year and the water regulatory body has given share to provinces according to para 2 of the 1991 water accord.
He said Punjab Irrigation department has prepared its schedule of running the perennial and non-perennial canals across the province for next six months that would be finalised at high meeting to be attended by the experts of the agriculture and other concerned departments here today (Wednesday). Siddiqui said that Irrigation department has decided to run all the non-perennial irrigation canals till the 20th October so that the farmers could soil their lands for sowing the strategic crops
According to 14th October report of WAPDA about the position of the river inflows and outflows at Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma along with the reservoirs levels 12.5 MAF water is available in the Mangla, and Tarbela dams for sowing and maturing the Rabi crops in addition to run of the river water in Indus, Jhelum, Kabul and Chenab during the winter.
The report said that IRSA is releasing 90,000 cusecs water downstream the Tarbela dam and 30,000 cusecs from the Mangla dam in addition to 13,600 cusecs run of the Kabul river water and 21,600 cusecs of the river Chenab for sowing the Rabi crops and maturing the Kharif cash crops specially, cotton rice and sugarcane crops.
Director General Punjab Agriculture Services Dr Anjum Ali told this scribe that Rabi crops would be sown over 23 million acres of land in Punjab. Wheat would be sown over 16.5 million acres to produce 19.5 million tons, grams over 0.65 million acres and oil seeds including canola over 0.4 million acres.
MET OFFICE Advisory for Farmers; Farmers of rain fed areas obtaining water through tube wells and irrigated areas in upper parts are advised to schedule the irrigation according to the expected weather rainfall/gusty winds after irrigation cause water logging of standing crops like maize, sugarcane and cotton. Farmers should be very careful in this regard.
-- Farmers are advised to cultivate winter vegetables in time so that present soil moisture may fully be utilised.
-- Farmers of wheat growing areas are advised to sow their crops in time to get the optimum yield. The best suitable time for wheat cultivation is 1st November to 20th November.
-- Farmers of rain fed areas are advised to sow their Rabi crops during the period 15th October to 15th November. After this time the yield of wheat crop decreases gradually.
-- Farmers of cotton crop areas are advised to prepare their field for incoming Rabi crops and complete sowing in time.
-- Monsoon rains have accelerated pest/viral attacks and more weeds growth in cotton, sugarcane and other standing crops. Viral/pests attacks on cotton and sugarcane crops have been reported in agricultural plains of the country. Farmers should take in time precautionary measures through manual methods or chemical spraying to control weeds on time.
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