M RAFIQUE GORAYA

LAHORE: As the drought like conditions have been prevailing in the country for past many months, the water inflows in three rivers Jhelum, Chenab and Kabul have dropped to the lowest at their rim stations in ten years.

Water inflow of river Indus at Tarbela dam is also 1,600 cusecs less than the last year’s flow of 18,800 cusecs, forcing IRSA to ask Sindh government to ensure water share of Balochistan immediately otherwise it could create serious law and order situation.

According to Monday’s river flows data 3,878 cusecs water is flowing in Mangla dam on river Jhelum against last year’s availability of 12,643 cusecs. In the other big river Chenab only 4306 cusecs is entering Marala headworks near Sialkot from India as compared to last year’s flow of 9,781 cusecs of water. Another dependable river Kabul is contributing only 6,630 cusecs at Nowshera against its normal supply of 15,000 cusecs of water to the national water availability when the Rabi crops including staple food of the nation wheat are in a critical stage of their growth/ maturity.

Punjab Irrigation engineers told Business Recorder that the Indus River System Authority is releasing 50,000 cusecs of water against the iflow of 32,000 in accordance with the water distribution formula among the among the four provinces for irrigating the Rabi crops across the country.

Thus the provinces are facing about 40 percent shortage of irrigation water for the strategic winter crops which are under stress as the Meteorological department has already forecast that moderate drought like conditions may prevail over the southern half of the country due to deficient rainfall and amount of precipitation would be less during the first half as compared to second half of this month.

In its daily weather forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday the Met Office said that Continental air is prevailing in most parts of the country. Mainly cold and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country during next 48 hours. Weather remained cold and dry in most parts of the country on Monday.

Lowest / minimum temperatures were recorded as under:

Quetta -10°C, Ziarat, Astore -08°C, Skardu, Kalam -07°C, Gilgit, Gupis, Dalbadin -05°C, Chitral -04°C, Dir, Kalat, Rawalakot, Bagrote -03°C, Islamabad, Peshawar o2 C, Lahore 07, Muzaffarabad 03, Faisalabad 05, Multan 07, Karachi 13, and Hyderabad 15 C.