The first winter rain in upper parts of the country is expected on January 28 and 29 (Thursday and Friday) after about four months of dry weather, Pakistan Meteoro-logical department said in a special drought advisory update here on Tuesday. It said a westerly weather system is expected to approach Balochistan on Wednesday (today) and after giving some scattered rainfall in Balochistan it would extend to other upper parts of the country including upper parts of Punjab and Islamabad.
It said Kashmir and Northern Areas (NAs) are also expected to receive rainfall/ snowfall on Thursday and Friday. These rains are expected to help in alleviating the emerging drought conditions and in improving the dense fog conditions in Punjab. Met office said as far as the El-Nino phenomena, in Pacific Ocean, suppressing our rainfall is concerned, it after reaching a peak is now expected to decrease gradually and neutralise sometime in early summer.
The department had earlier predicted about 30% below normal winter rains in the country. Furthermore, the Punjab government has sent a new water indent to Indus River System Authority (Irsa) effecting from Thursday (tomorrow) for withdrawal of 12,000 cusecs water from the Indus river and 6,000 cusecs from Mangla dam, Consultant Punjab Irrigation department M H Siddiqui told Business Recorder here on Tuesday.
He said that Punjab has requested Irsa to release 5,000 cusecs water in the Chashma Jhelum (CJ) link canal and 7,000 cusecs into DG Khan and other Southern Punjab irrigation canals for irrigating Rabi crops of the area. He said that Irsa started releasing 6,000 cusecs water from Mangla dam on Tuesday to feed Upper Jhelum Canal, Rasul Qadirabad and Qadirabad - Balloki link canals after a month-long desilting and annual repairs of the canals.
He said all the closed canals will be reopened before the month is over. He said of the Chenab flows, 3,500 cusecs water is being discharged into the Upper Chenab Canal at Marala while 2,000 cusecs water is being outflowed downstream towards the Khanki headworks on the river Chenab.
According to river flows and reservoirs level report of Water & Water Development Authority (Wapda) Irsa has increased daily water outflows dowsnstream Tarbela dam on river Indus from 20,000 cusecs to 24,000 and downstream Mangla dam on river Jhelum from 5,000 cusecs to 6000 cusecs on Thursday. The report said that the Indus system is receiving 35,500 cusecs water from four live rivers at rim stations Indus 15,600 cusecs, Kabul 9,100 cusecs, Jhelum 5,300 cusecs, and Chenab 5500 cusecs.
It is releasing 44,000 cusecs water into the canals for the second watering of the winter Rabi crops including strategic wheat crop. In Sindh, the Irrigation Department increased outflow of water from Guddu Barrage from 15,800 cusecs to 22,700 cusecs on Tuesday dowstream towards Sukkur barrage where it would reach on Wednesday. With this increased inflow, the department is likely to reopen several canals emanating from the remodelled barrage on Friday for irrigating the crops.
Meanwhile, according to the Met Department, weather remained dry in most parts of the country during the last 24 hours. The lowest minimum temperature of the country was recorded in Para Chinar (-11oC), while lowest minimum temperature in Islamabad remained (5oC), Lahore (6oC), Karachi (14oC), Peshawar (7oC), Quetta (1oC), Muzaffarabad (4oC), Murree (3oC) and Gilgit (OoC).