IRSA stops filling Tarbela and Mangla dams

M RAFIQUE GORAYA

LAHORE:  The Indus River System Authority has stopped filling Tarbela and Mangla dams to divert all river flows in the irrigation canals for sowing the strategic Kharif crops including cotton, rice and sugar cane across the country.

Punjab Irrigation engineers told Business Recorder that Punjab and Sindh provinces would be facing more than 21 percent water shortage till June 10 due to abnormally low flows in the rivers.

They said that IRSA started filling Mangla dam on river Jhelum from 3rd April and stored 0.478MAF water in the dam till 7th May.

Similarly IRSA started filling the Tarbela dam on river Indus from 23rd April and water rose by 17 feet from its dead level of 1,378 ft. However, the dam was emptied earlier this month to meet water demands of the provinces. 

IRSA Chairman Mazhar Ali Shah says that the Authority is making efforts to meet immediate irrigation water requirements of the farmers for sowing the Kharif crops throughout the country In this regard IRSA and Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) are concentrating to maintain balance in releasing water for hydro-power generation and irrigation purposes, he added.

According to May 11 rivers flow and reservoirs level report of Water and Power Development Authority, IRSA is releasing all the available run of the rivers water into the water channels for irrigation and hydro-power generation

In river Indus 48,700 cusecs water is flowing at Tarbela, in river Kabul 35,800 cusecs at Nowshera, in river Jhelum 42.400 cusecs at Mangla and in river Chenab 26,700 cusecs water at Marala.   IRSA is providing 53,700 cusecs water to Sindh province at Guddu, 43,200 cusecs at Sukkur and 7,310 cusecs at Kotri on river Indus.   Agronomists say that Punjab and Sindh provinces have planned to sow cotton crop over 8.5 million of land and rice over 6 million acres of land this season.