ISLAMABAD, Sept 30: The Indus River System Authority (Irsa) has estimated 15 per cent water shortage for the Rabi cropping season 2013-14 and decided not to transfer water from Indus zone to Punjab through Chashma-Jhelum link canal.

A senior official told Dawn on Monday that a meeting of Irsa’s advisory committee, presided over by its chairman Asjad Imtiaz Ali, had approved water availability estimates finalised by its technical committee at 34.22 million acre feet (MAF) for Rabi season (Oct 1–April 1) with a shortage of 15pc.

The advisory committee put total river flows during the season at 22.22 MAF and noted that another 12 MAF would be available from the storage. Total system losses were estimated at 3 MAF, leaving behind the water availability of 30.95 MAF to be distributed among the four provinces.

As a consequence, Irsa decided to continue with water distribution among the provinces under para-2 of the 1991 water apportionment accord.

Therefore, Punjab’s share was fixed at 16.65 MAF, followed by Sindh at 12.58 MAF, 1.02 MAF for Balochistan and 0.70 MAF for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Provincial governments were advised to submit their water withdrawal plans within a week for approval and implementation.

The official said the Balochistan government complained that it was not being given its full share by Sindh. Irsa directed the Sindh government to ensure full irrigation share to Balochistan.He said a representative of the Sindh government said that given higher storage and water availability in Mangla dam, water should not be transferred to Punjab from Indus.

The Irsa chairman said the issue had already been settled in the distribution plan that ensured water would not be transferred from Indus to Mangla zone in case there was no surplus water in the Indus.

The official explained that under the water distribution plan approved by Irsa, the Chashma-Jhelum link canal would not be opened for transfer of Indus waters to Jhelum zone but half of Punjab’s share from Indus zone would be diverted through the Taunsa-Punjnad Link canal.