Irsa estimates 16 percent water shortage for Rabi crops

The Indus River System Authority (Irsa) has estimated 16 percent water shortage for sowing and maturing of the 2011-2012 Rabi crops from October 15 to March 31 as Pakistan does not have sufficient storage capacity to conserve the several million acre-ft monsoon rain water or floods in the rivers which is thrown in the Arabian Sea after devastation in riparian lower Sindh.
Water experts say that Pakistan threw away more than 50 million-acre ft water in the sea last year having economic benefits of several billions of dollars and sufficient to fill 8 Tarbela dams. Similarly this year too, due to lack of water reservoirs in the upper or lower regions of the country, Sindh province has suffered huge economic losses besides wasting the precious rainwater that could have been used for substantial agriculture growth of the country. Sowing of vital Rabi crops has been delayed in Sindh as rainwater could not be drained out in the lower parts of the province, they added.
Punjab Irrigation Canal regulator M H Siddiqui told Business Recorder here on Tuesday that Irsa has apportioned the 33 MAF available water among the four provinces in accordance with the 1991 Water Apportionment Accord foreseeing 16 percent shortage in the normal 38 MAF water requirement for the winter crops. He said that after deduction of 16 percent shortage of water, Punjab has been allocated 17 MAF water instead of its share of 20 MAF water for sowing and maturing of Rabi crops including wheat, oil seeds, grams, sunflower, vegetables, orchards, fodder for animals etc that are sown over 32.5 million acres of land across the country.
Siddiqui said that Punjab will run its perennial and non-perennial canals with a flow of about 90,000 cusecs water drawn from the Mangla and Indus zones (river Indus 36,000 cusecs, Jhelum 32,000 cusecs, Chenab 18,000 cusecs and Sutlej 3,000 cusecs) till 15th of October for sowing of the Rabbi crops in the province. Non-perennial canals would be closed after 15th October and the province would draw only 60,000 cusecs water to run its perennial canals to irrigate crops in south Punjab. According to Irsa water experts 21.5 MAF water will inflow in the system during the winter season while 11.5 MAF water stored in Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma reservoirs would also be available for the 2011-12 Rabi season. "Much depends on the timely winter rains for the significant growth of the agriculture sector of the country", he added.