The water inflows in River Indus and its tributaries are 30 percent less than the inflows of last year in the first week of May, which is the peak time for sowing of cotton in Punjab and Sindh, official sources told Business Recorder here on Thursday.
They said that since the weather had not yet warmed up in the upper regions and snowfall was less than average this winter, therefore, the current inflows in Indus, Jhelum, Chenab and Kabul were quite less than the average of first 10 days of May.
The daily Indus River System Authority's (Irsa) hydrological data of May 4, showed river inflows in Indus at Tarbela 51,000 cusecs, Kabul at Nowshera 40,000 cusecs, Jhelum at Mangla 50,000 cusecs, and Chenab at Marala 32,000 cusecs, totalling 173,000 cusecs against last year's inflow of 227,000 cusecs.
The water level in Tarbela reservoir on River Indus was 1,384 ft against the dead level of 1,369 ft, Chashma barrage five ft above the dead level, in Mangla dam on river Jhelum 1,109 ft against the dead level of 1,040 ft. The total inflow at all the rim stations was 173,000 cusecs against the outflow of 167,731 cusecs of water.
At Kalabagh, on river Indus, the upstream discharge was 107,590 cusecs, downstream 101,590, at Chashma downstream discharge was 65,000 cusecs, Guddu barrage upstream 35,648 cusecs and downstream 30,648 cusecs, Sukkur barrage u/s 25,284 cusecs and d/s 5,059 cusecs (20,225 cusecs released in irrigation canals), Kotri barrage u/s 2,772 cusecs, d/s Nil and released in canals 2,942 cusecs.
Senior irrigation officials told this scribe that though the inflows had started improving, yet it would take the water at least 10 days to reach Guddu barrage and improve water supply in Sindh.
Meanwhile, the meteorological department has forecast less than average rains during the coming monsoon season, hence Irsa had to do a lot of homework and brainstorming to manage and judiciously use the available water for irrigation and hydel electricity generating purposes during 2006-07.