Irsa releases 12,000 cusecs more water from Tarbela Dam

M RAFIQUE GORAYA

LAHORE: As sowing of Kharif crops specially cotton and paddy has stepped up in South Punjab and Sindh, the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) increased water flow downstream the Tarbela dam on river Indus by another 12,000 cusecs on Thursday.

The water regulatory body is now putting in 64,000 cusecs water in the Indus zone and 55,400 cusecs water in the Jhelum zone to run all the countrywide perennial and non-perennial canals.

Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) engineers told Business Recorder that 0.766 MAF was available in Tarbela Dam and 1.722 MAF in Mangla Dam to meet irrigation water needs of the four provinces till first week of June, when running water would substantially increase in the four live rivers with melting of snow over the mountains.

They said presently 23,700 cusecs water was flowing in the mighty Indus, 27,800 cusecs in river Kabul, 40,300 cusecs in River Jhelum and 20,400 in the River Chenab. Irsa is discharging more than 120,000 cusecs water in the sprawling irrigation canals and waterways across the country.

Sindh province is receiving 47,700 cusecs water at Guddu, 40,700 cusecs at Sukkur and 9,885 cusecs from sowing of cash Kharif crops.