Though the country still faces about 40 percent shortage of water for sowing the two main foreign exchange earning crops, cotton and rice, the water situation slightly improved on Thursday with scattered rains in the Central Punjab and rising inflow in the rivers.
The combined inflow of water in rivers Indus, Kabul, Jhelum and Chenab has reached 0.25 million cusecs mark. The position of the river inflows/outflows at Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma along with the reservoirs levels and the barrages on Thursday was as under:
Rivers: Indus at Tarbela-Inflows 111,100 cusecs and Outflows 100,000 cusecs, Kabul at Nowshera: Inflows 48,900 cusecs and Outflows 48,900 cusecs, Indus at Chashma-Inflows 146,700 cusecs and Outflows 125,000 cusecs, Jhelum at Mangla-Inflows 56,600 cusecs and Outflows 44,000 cusecs, Chenab at Marala-Inflows 35,900 cusecs and Outflows 18,900 cusecs.
Barrages: Jinnah-Inflows 156,100 cusecs and Outflows 150,400 cusecs, Chashma -Inflows 146,700 cusecs and Outflows 125,000 cusecs, Taunsa-Inflows 98,400 cusecs and Outflows 79,900 cusecs, Guddu-Inflows 53,200 cusecs and Outflows 50,300 cusecs, Sukkur-Inflows 42,700 cusecs and Outflows 11,400 cusecs, Kotri-Inflows 5,365 cusecs and Outflows nil.
Reservoirs Level and Storage: Tarbela-level 1380.75 feet, live storage 0.149 Million Acre Feet (MAF) and dead level 1369.00 feet, Manala-level 1110.70 feet, live storage 0.799 MAF and dead level 1040 feet, Chashma - level 643.00 feet, live storage 0,105 MAF and dead level 637 feet.
A Met office report said that during the past 24hours, Sargodha received 26 mm of rains, shorkot=25 mm, Johabad=22 mm, Noorpur Thal=20 mm, Sahiwal=20 mm, Okara=16, Jhang=10, Mianwali=09, D.I Khan=08, and Dir=08 mm.
The report said that westerly weather system is likely to approach upper parts of the country between 22nd to 25th May 2008. Under the influence of this system, rains/thunderstorm associated with strong gusty winds is likely to occur over Upper Punjab, Upper NWFP, Northeast Balochistan, Kashmir, and Northern Areas during the above-mentioned period. Hailstorm may also occur at few places.
Whereas in the other parts of the country that includes South Punjab, Sindh and South NWFP may experience Dust-Thunderstorm at scattered places. This weather is likely to bring some relief to present severe heat wave conditions in the country.