Maximum flow in rivers likely to touch 300,000 cusecs by next weekend

LAHORE: Maximum flow in rivers is likely to touch 300,000 cusecs by 20th of May which is already improving day by day with increase in temperature in the country, said sources from Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

According to the sources from the flood department of PMD, total flow has already improved to 190,000 cusecs at present which was around 100,000 cusecs about a week earlier. They said the temperature is likely to stay above 40 degree Celsius in the coming weeks which would be helpful in improving water flows in rivers.

They said both Mangla and Tarbela dams are touching dead levels over the last two months as the total water flow in rivers has reduced to 88,000 cusecs at present. At that time, the presence of clouds in the Northern areas had slowed down the process of snow melting and a hydrological drought was imminent due to non-availability of water in dams. This situation has also inflicted negative impact on the cotton growing areas in Sindh.

The sources further said no heavy rain is expected on 15th of May when fresh spell of westerly waves would enter the country. They said the upcoming spell of westerly waves would bring clouds but still there is no chance of heavy rain. Accordingly, they said, snowpack would keep melting with rise in temperature until the start of monsoon.

It may be noted that the province of Sindh is facing severe shortage of water and Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman has claimed that the Indus River is 60 percent short of water. It is also worth noting that that the snowpack in the upper parts of the country has shrunk by 10,000 square kilometer in terms of covered area this year.

According to the sources, about 30 percent less than normal snowfall has been witnessed this season, which has pushed the temperature slightly high during the months of April and May. The snowfall season starts from the start of November and continues up to the end of the month of March. The maximum temperature had been below 30C during the months of March and April last year, which has registered about 10C increase this year due to less than normal snowfall.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022