The Indus River System Authority is releasing 86,000 cusecs water from the dams and run of the river water in Chenab and Kabul for irrigating the Rabi crops including the nation's staple food, wheat, grams, lentils, mustards, oil seeds, vegetables, fodder for livestock, fruit orchards across the country.
Punjab irrigation engineers told Business Recorder that the water regulatory body is discharging 40,000 cusecs of water from the Tarbela dam on the mighty Indus River, 22,000 cusecs water downstream the Mangla dam on the river Jhelum, 15,400 run of the Kabul river and 8,600 cusecs flowing in the river Chenab at Marala.
They said since there is as much as 36 percent shortage of irrigation water for 2018 winter crops , the provinces are very judiciously using the available water keeping in view needs of command areas of the irrigation canals. They said that the crops in Punjab are at a critical stage of growth and flowering, therefore the water regulators have to be vigilant and avoid wastage of the precious resource.
Meanwhile agriculture experts told this scribe that due to a prolonged dry spell and shortage of water the farmers were a bit worried about the rising temperature in mid-February as wheat is a temperature-sensitive crop and needs cold conditions to flourish
The current spell of moderate light rain has dropped the temperature down and created conducive climate for good quality of grain and yield of all winter crops, he added. The harvesting of wheat and other crops will start in mid-April.
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