The increased water inflows in the four live rivers, Indus, Kabul. Jhelum and Chenab by over 1,00,000 cusecs during past two weeks have diminished the projected 12 percent irrigation water shortage from 1st April to 10th June this year for sowing of strategic cash crops including cotton, rice, sugarcane, maize, vegetables, fodder for animals, fruit orchards etc across the country.
Punjab Irrigation Water Regulators told Business Recorder here on Thursday that instead of the forecast of 1,15,000 cusecs, 1,84,600 cusecs water is flowing in the mighty Indus at Tarbela. Similarly, 68, 000 cusecs water is flowing in river KABUL instead of 54,000 cusecs at Nowshera. The present flow of 63,000 Cusecs in river Jhelum is 5,000 cusecs more than the expert's forecast. The river Chenab is running at 72,000 cusecs instead of projected 48,000 cusecs.
They said in view of this satisfactory irrigation water situation in the country, the Indus River System Authority is filling the Tarbela dam on the mighty Indus and Mangla dam on the Jhelum river ahead of the annual targeted water storing schedule during the summer season. The Authority had stored about 5 MAF water in the two reservoirs against their storage capacity of 13.5 MAF till 8th June.
It is worth mentioning that these two dams are the main stay of the country's agriculture economy as they are the only source of uninterrupted and assured water supply during winter for sowing, growing and maturing the nation's staple food, wheat crop, oil seeds, vegetables and fodder for the animals.
They said as the combined inflow in the rivers Indus and Kabul is now more than 2,30,000 cusecs at Chashma, IRSA has allowed Punjab to draw 17,000 cusecs through the CJ link canal and 11,900 cusecs water through the Taunsa Punjnad link canal (TP link canal) to provide maximum water to south Punjab and Bahawalpur and Rahimyar Khan districts.
They said Punjab is drawing 1,12,000 cusecs water from the Indus and Mangla zones to run all its canals to their full capacity across the province. It is providing 50,000 cusecs water to command areas of the abandoned rivers Ravi and Sutlej through Balloki, head Sulemanki and Sidhnai barrages. According to 8th June water report of WAPDA, the rivers flow at Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma and the barrages is as under:
Barrages:
Jinnah: Inflows 223300 cusecs and Outflows 215500 cusecs; Chashma: Inflows 231500 cusecs and Outflows 214000 cusecs; Taunsa: Inflows186900 cusecs and Outflows 159100 cusecs; Panjnad: Inflows 18600 cusecs and Outflows 3300 cusecs; Guddu: Inflows 140100 cusecs and Outflows 112300 cusecs; Sukkur: Inflows 95000 cusecs and Outflows 44400 cusecs; Kotri: Inflows 35600 cusecs and Outflows Nil.
Reservoirs (Level and Storage):
Tarbela: Minimum operating level 1380 feet, present level 1463.33 maximum conservation level 1550 feet, live storage today 1.947 million acre feet (MAF).
Mangla: Minimum operating level 1040 feet, present level 1174.60 feet, maximum conservation level 1242 feet, live storage today 3.040 MAF.
Chashma: Minimum operating level 637 feet, present level 647.70 feet, maximum conservation level 649 feet, live storage today 0.228 MAF.