ISLAMABAD: The IRSA Advisory Committee (IAC) has approved water availability only for the month of April 2025 with 43% system shortfall. The water situation will again be reviewed in first week of May 2025.
The decision was taken by the IAC in its meeting held on March 26, 2025 to approve the Kharif 2025 anticipated water availability criteria from April 01, 2025 to September 30, 2025 under the chairmanship of Sahibzada Muhammad Shabir, Chairman IRSA/Member IRSA Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The meeting was attended by all IRSA Members: Rep of Chief Engineering Advisor, MoWR; Secretaries PIDs of Punjab and Sindh; Senior Officials of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa & Balochistan Irrigation Dept, Senior Technical Advisors of WAPDA; Senior representatives of Tarbela and Mangla Dams, T4 and T5 HPPs; Senior Representatives of Provincial Agriculture Departments and Director (Opr)/ Secretary IRSA, along with senior technical personnel of IRSA. The IAC reviewed the Rabi 2024-25 (Oct-Mar) system operation and showed satisfaction over the overall seasonal close at 18% shortages till March 20th, 2025 against the anticipated shortages of 16%.
Pakistan’s water crisis: rethinking crop choices to save water
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) highlighted that below normal rain and above normal temperatures especially across Northern and Southern tips of the country were forecast by local and global climate models for the months of April, May and June (AMJ). The PMD noted that winter snowfall in the catchments of Indus and Jhelum was recorded at 26.8 inches against the normal of 49.7 inches, i.e., 31% less and inflows into the Rim-Station rivers would also be less than normal.
After detailed discussion, the IAC duly accounting for the unclear climactical parameters and keeping in view the Summer 2025 Weather Outlook presented by PMD, approved the Water Availability only for the month of April 2025 with 43% system shortfall. The water situation will again be reviewed in first week of May 2025.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.