ISLAMABAD: The drought-like conditions prevailing in the country since the start of the Kharif season two months ago showed early signs of fading on Monday as temperatures rose to the highest level in 10 years in the catchment areas.

The temperatures in Skardu increased suddenly to 32 degree Celsius — highest in 10 years — resulting in swift snow melting and increased river flows.

“It seems the drought-like conditions are disappearing,” a spokesman for the Indus River System Authority told Dawn. “We are hopeful to have good water availability for rice crop sowing” that starts in mid-June and continues until August.

He said 60-70 per cent cotton sowing was now complete and remaining was in final stages that would get a boost due to better water availability. He said it was difficult to recoup losses suffered by provinces because of 60pc water shortage since April. But, he added, the losses at least might be minimised.

Mr Rana, who is also director regulations of the water regulator, said it was a major abnormality that temperatures had risen so early and so quickly in Skardu. The temperatures used to go up gradually in the past and never went beyond 30 degree Celsius in the first week of June.

Based on improved prospects, Irsa called a special meeting to review the water situation in the backdrop of substantial increase in river inflows as a result of increase in catchments’ temperatures and noted that at 32 degree Celsius “Skardu attained record temp in first week of June”.

The meeting was informed that river inflows had stood at 108,000 cusec on May 26 and had more than doubled to 240,000 cusec on Monday (June 4). Major increases were witnessed in the Indus and the Kabul rivers. The river flows were, nevertheless, still lower than last year’s flow of 300,400 cusec.

Therefore, the regulator revised the provincial shares and today decided to fulfil all the indents of the provinces to partially make up for the lost opportunity during sowing. As such, Punjab’s share was increased from 69,400 cusec to 93,200 cusec as demanded by the provincial irrigation department.

Likewise, Sindh’s share was also jacked up from 60,000 cusec to 85,000 cusec as asked for by the provincial government. The share of Balochistan was also enhanced from 8,000 cusec to 14,000 cusec as was desired while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s flows were kept at 3,100 cusec for Chashma Right Bank Canal.

Even after meeting full demands of the provinces, Irsa said it was also started storing some water in the reservoirs and was able to build storage in last four days to 373,000 acre feet from about 207,000 acre feet.

On May 15, the irrigation authorities and weather pundits had reported 52pc water shortage in four remaining weeks of sowing season and feared Kharif crops could face ‘drought-like’ situation in the sowing season.

The Kharif cropping season starts from April-June and lasts until October-December in different parts of the country. Rice, sugarcane, cotton, maize and mash are some of the key crops of the season.

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2018