Punjab irrigation department has decided to reopen its six monthly non-perennial canals from 15th April, Friday to start sowing of Kharif crops including all important cotton, rice and sugar crops, Punjab Canal Regulator M H Siddiqui told Business Recorder here on Tuesday.
He said Chief Engineers of Lahore, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan and Bahawalpur irrigation zones have been advised to send water needs of their respective canal networks so that the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) could be asked to release additional water from the reservoirs out of Punjab's share of water for Kharif crops from 1st April to 30th September 2011.
The six monthly non-perennial canals were closed in the last week of October 2010 after reduction in river flows on setting in of winter season. However perennial canals continued to flow except for month long desilting in December - January.
He said due to the recent three day rains in Punjab and ripening of Rabi crops like wheat, grams, lentils, oilseeds, mustards, vegetables maize etc Punjab had been drawing less water this month and preserving its water share to be used during the peak sowing period of Kharif crops in the months of May , June, July , August. He said Punjab further reduced its share from Mangla zone from 45,000 to 40,000 cusecs on Tuesday as Rabi crops are ripe for harvesting and do not need watering at this stage.
It is worth mentioning that Punjab Irrigation System commands an area (CCA) of 21.5 million acres. The Irrigation network consisting of 25 main Canal Systems with total capacity of daily 0.12 million cusecs water which is drawn from 14 barrages on rivers for utilisation through 58,000 outlets.
The Indus Zone Canals include Haveli, Sidhnai, Rangpur, Abbassia, Thal, Pakpatton, Punjnad, Lower Mailsi, Bahawalpur, Muzffargarh and D G Khan canals. The Mangla zone canals are Upper Jehlum, Lower Jehlum, Upper Chanab, Lower Chanab, Lower Bari Doab, Central Bari Doab, Marala - Ravi, Upper Depalpur, Upper Pakpatton, Eastern Sadiqqia canals.
For operational efficiency, the system has been divided into 6 irrigation zones-Lahore, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Multan, Bahawalpur and DG Khan. According to April 12, river inflows/outflows and the reservoirs level report of Water and |Power Development Authority (WAPDA) Tarbela dam on river Indus has reached its dead level of 1378 feet, therefore only run of the river flow 22,300 cusecs water is being released downstream for irrigation and hydel generation purposes.
However river Kabul is contributing 19,200 cusecs water to the Indus River System which is being supplied to Sindh province. The report said that Sindh Province is getting 42,000 cusecs at Guddu Barrage, 40,000 cusecs at Sukkur and 3,365 cusecs water at Kotri Barrage.