HYDERABAD: Water shortage is worsening with each passing day at all three barrages of Sindh due to reduced upstream flows, forcing irrigation authorities to resort to rotation programme to apportion limited water among all recipients in measured quantity.

The shortage is recorded in water flows for Balochistan as well. This has prompted irrigation authorities to start rotation programme for Sukkur Barrage’s four left bank canals so that water can be provided to right bank canals.

The barrage authorities have started reducing flows of two main canals of Rohri and Nara to ensure minimum flows for right bank canals.

Presently, Guddu and Sukkur barrages are facing 19 per cent and 14pc shortage. Balochistan is not exempted from water shortage at both barrages of Guddu and Sukkur wherefrom the province gets water at two different canals.

At Guddu Barrage, Balochistan is having 9pc shortage and at Sukkur 35pc according to ten-daily water allocations under the Water Apportionment Accord 1991. Except for a brief period when water flows improved in Sindh, the province had been at receiving end since May this year.

Irrigation authorities forced to resort to rotation programme to apportion limited water among all recipients

Since Kotri Barrage is receiving improved flows it does not have to face implications of water shortage caused by the second dip in the Indus system caused by opening of two link canals by Punjab, according to Sindh government’s claim. Kotri Barrage had been facing 19pc water shortage until July 19.

Over the past few days Kotri Barrage witnessed a few thousands’ flows downstream out of the reduced flows. The barrage had 9,000 cusecs on Aug 18, which dropped to 397 cusecs on Aug 25.

Irrigation department’s statistics showed that Sukkur Barrage received maximum discharge of 250,345 cusecs on Aug 7 only for 48 hours. August is considered flood season in the river system. With these maximum flows, the pond level of the barrage could be maintained at 200.45 feet for 10 days only from Aug 3 to 12 to provide flows to off-taking canals.

Water flows declined from 250,345 cusecs on Aug 7 to 84,350 cusecs on Aug 13, indicating ‘critical situation’. The barrage needs around 150,000 cusecs of discharge upstream to meet requirement of right bank canals of the barrage and downstream flows for Kotri Barrage.

Sukkur Barrage’s right bank canals need flows for rice-growing areas and one of the canals also feeds Balochistan at Khirthar Branch through Garang regulator.

The authorities reduced Rohri Canal’s flows from 12,700 cusecs to 11,700 cusecs and at Nara from 12,650 cusecs to 11,650 cusecs. Khairpur Feeder East’s flows have been reduced from 2,010 cusecs to 1,800 cusecs and Khairpur Feeder West’s from 1,405 cusecs to 1,200 cusecs.

The internal management of water is being carried out following reduced flows at Chashma Barrage which decreased from 170,000 cusecs on Aug 20 to 140,000 cusecs on Aug 21, showing a deficit of 30,000 cusecs. The impact of the drop is to be seen at all barrages of Sindh in the days to come.

Taunsa Barrage faced this shortage on Aug 23 where flows dropped to 115,700 cusecs. Taunsa had a flow of 140,800 cusecs on Aug 22.

Resultantly, flows at Guddu Barrage dropped from 128,000 cusecs upstream on Aug 22 to 109,000 cusecs upstream on Aug 25. Sukkur Barrage had flows of 80,440 cusecs on Aug 25 which are likely to drop to 74,000 cusecs on Aug 26 (today), according to barrage official, Abdul Aziz Soomro.

Balochistan will have to shoulder this shortage as the province received 2,200 cusecs from Sukkur Barrage through Khirthar branch (North Western Canal of the barrage) but it was getting 1,425 cusecs flows, indicating 35.2pc shortage as per last third ten-daily allocations for the province as per Accord 91.

Similarly, at Guddu Barrage the province has to receive 8,000 cusecs but it is receiving 7,277 cusecs, reflecting 9pc shortage.

Since the latest dip early this month Sindh has been constantly pressing the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) to ‘reduce’ flows for two link canals, Chashma-Jhelum and Taunsa-Panjnad. But the CJ has been drawing 10,000 cusecs and TP 5,000-7,000 cusecs to the chagrin of Sindh.

The canals’ operation had always raised eyebrows in Sindh and this year too it led to controversy in the first week of May when the canals were allowed to draw water without meeting indented supplies of Sindh’s barrages during Kharif season.

Since then, the situation by and large has remained unchanged.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2021