RECORDER REPORT

Lahore: As the running water in the four live rivers has sharply dropped due to poor monsoon season this year, the Indus River System Authority has started releasing 42,000 cusecs additional water from Tarbela and Mangla dams to mature the cash crops cotton, paddy and sugarcane, vegetables, fodder and fruit orchards.

Punjab Irrigation engineers told Business Recorder on Monday that the provinces have suggested to IRSA to give priority to the water needs of the Kharif crops that are at the critical stage of maturity rather than sowing and growing of winter crops including wheat.

According to 10th September rivers flows and reservoirs level report of WAPDA, the water regulatory body is discharging 1,70, 000 cusecs water downstream the Tarbela dam against the inflow of 1,30,000 cusecs water in the Indus river. Similarly it is releasing 13,100 cusecs water from the Mangla reservoir against the inflow of 11,800 cusecs in the river Jhelum. River Kabul is contributing 12200 cusecs and the river Chenab at Marala 41900 cusecs water to the sprawling irrigation system of the country.

Punjab water regulators said that Mangla dam is still fifty percent empty with no hope of its filling to full capacity, river Chenab’s satisfactory inflows have sustained this year’s cash Kharif crops of central, eastern and south Punjab

The position of the river inflows and outflows at barrages in Punjab and Sindh with the reservoirs levels on Monday was as under:

Barrages: Jinnah: Inflows 186700 cusecs and Outflows 178700 cusecs, Chashma: Inflows 185300 cusecs and Outflows 170000 cusecs, Taunsa: Inflows 167500 cusecs and Outflows 140000 cusecs, Panjnad: Inflows 12900 cusecs and Outflows Nil cusecs Guddu: Inflows 130200 cusecs and Outflows 100200 cusecs, Sukkur: Inflows 83500 cusecs and Outflows 31500, Kotri: Inflows 48800 cusecs and Outflows 6900.

Reservoirs (Level and Storage):

Tarbela: Minimum operating level 1386 feet, present level 1546.94 feet, maximum conservation level 1550 feet, live storage today 5.872 million acre feet (MAF). Mangla: Minimum operating level 1050 feet, present level 1178.00 feet, maximum conservation level 1242 feet, live storage today 3.071 MAF. Chashma: Minimum operating level 638.15 feet, present level 640.50 feet, maximum conservation level 649 feet, live storage today 0.032 MAF.

Meanwhile, Meteorological Department has said that mainly hot and humid weather is expected in most parts of the country on Tuesday. However, rain-thundershower with gusty winds is expected at isolated places in Gujranwala division, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir and its adjoining hilly areas.

In its rainfall outlook the flood warning centre has said that scattered wind thunderstorm/rain with isolated heavy falls and one or two very heavy falls is expected over the upper parts of the country from September 13, 2018.