The water inflows in the four main rivers of the country are currently at the lowest as compared to past seven monsoon seasons. Sources in Wapda told Business Recorder here on Wednesday that about 0.29 million cusecs water was flowing upstream in rivers Indus, Kabul, Jhelum, and Chenab, which is on average about 0.1 million cusecs less than normal river flows in the middle of the monsoon season in Pakistan.
They said the Indus River System Authority (Irsa), which regulates and distributes Indus water amongst the four provinces has been forced to release about 20,000 cusec daily from the Tarbela Dam to meet the Kharif crop water requirements of the provinces.
They said that Wapda had stored more than 8.2 million acres ft water in Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma reservoirs till last Thursday for winter Rabi crops, but after recent releases it is now about 8 million acre ft.left in the storages. "If the inflows do not increase appreciably during the remaining monsoon season, we might not fill the dams this year", experts apprehended.
However, Tuesday/Wednesday's rains in central Punjab and Sindh have provided some temporary relief to the agriculture economy which is 80 percent dependent on the canal irrigation/surface water. Experts says rice, cotton and sugarcane crops have been sown over 15 million acres of land and their timely watering was crucial for good per acre yields.
RIVER FLOWS AND RESERVOIRS LEVEL: The position of the river inflows/outflows at Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma along with the reservoirs levels and the barrages on Wednesday was as under:
RIVERS: Indus at Tarbele: lnflows 168,300- cusecs and Outflows 180,000 cusecs, Kabul at Nowshera: Inflows 31,400 cusecs and Outflows 31,400 cusecs, Indus at Chashma: Inflows 216,400 cusecs and Outflows 210,000 cusecs Jhelum at Mangla: Inflows 21,200 cusecs and Outflows 15.000 cusecs, Chenab at Marala: Inflows 60,900 cusecs and Outflows 27,600 cusecs
BARRAGES: Jinnah: lnflows 234,200 cusecs and Outflows 225,800 cusecs, Chashma: Inflows 216,400 cusecs and Outflows 210,000 cusecs, Taunsa: Inflows 214,600 cusecs and Outflows 184,300 cusecs, Guddu: Inflows 216,700 cusecs and Outflows 182,900 cusecs, Sukkur: Inflows 179,600 cusecs and Outflows 118,400 cusecs, Kotri: Inflows 55,193 cusecs and Outflows 30403 cusecs.
RESERVOIRS LEVEL AND STORAGE: Tarbela: level 1507,60 feet, live storage 4.542 million acre feet (MAF) and dead level 1,369 feet, Mangla: level 1181,15 feet, live storage S.452 MAF and dead level 1040 feet, Chashma: level 645.00 feet, live storage 0.187 MAF and dead level 637 feet.
RAINFALL DURING PAST 24 HOURS: Karachi: 59 mm, Badin 48 mm, Sehrkakota 25 mm, Padidan 22 mm, Nawabshah 19 mm, Kotli 16 mm, Lasbela 10 mm, Lahore 66 mm, and Sialkot 11 mm.