• Sindh seeks additional water share from Irsa
• NA body to take provinces’ complaints, flow measurement at barrages today

LAHORE / HYDE­RABAD: As the canal system in Punjab faces a 49 per cent water shortage, Sindh also observes a major dip in its water flows that is apparently impacting its barrages, showing an overall 49.5pc shortage till Thursday.

Thus, the Sindh irrigation ministry has again urged the Indus River System Autho­rity (Irsa) to release extra water to the province, claiming it has borne more shortage than Punjab, and the National Assembly’s Stan­ding Committee on Water Resources is scheduled to meet on Friday (today) and take up the water issues of the provinces as well as the recently conducted flow meas­ure­ment at barrages.

Punjab data shows that Taunsa Barrage needs 25,000 cusecs of water but was running with a 72pc shortage, as only 7,000 cusecs is available there. At Panjnad Barrage, the shortage is 65pc, and 20pc at Trimmu Barrage. A Punjab Irrigation Department spokesperson says Lower Bahawal Canal, which irrigates south Punjab, is facing a 36pc water shortage, as it was being supplied 3,200 cusecs against the requirement of 5,000 cusecs. Water inflow in Mailsi Canal meant for Lodhran district is 46pc less than needed, while the canal system linked with Sulemanki Barrage is facing 32pc shortage. Islam Barrage is witnessing a 60pc shortfall.

The spokesperson says the Balloki canal system is also encountering a similar shortage.

Meanwhile, since May 23, the Tarbela Dam, which was the primary source of water supply to Sindh, remains at dead level (1,398ft, as revised by Wapda upward against actual 1392ft dead level mark), according to May 20Irsa announcement. As the dip started to show its impact, the percentage-wise shortage at its barrages started to increase gradually, which had dropped to its lowest on May 29.

Those monitoring river flows said Tarbela recorded the highest outflows of 105,000 cusecs on May 19, but its discharge stood at 54,000 cusecs on May 27. Likewise, the flows in Kabul river, which augments the Indus, started to drop to 18,500 cusecs on May 27 from the maximum of 36,900 cusecs last month.

“The dip in inflows of Tarbela and Kabul river passes its impact to Chashma Barrage that serves as a reservoir of sorts,” Sukkur Barrage control room in-charge, Abdul Aziz Soomro, told Dawn over the phone. Low inflows at Chashma eventually impact Sindh’s barrages.

“Chashma downstream had the highest flows until recently as a maximum and constant outflow of 122,000 cusecs was observed there between May 16 and 18 before it gradually dropped to 119,000 cusecs on May 19,” he maintained. A 10-day dip continued till May 29 (75,032 cusecs) before the reservoir attained dead level of 638.15ft. And then it rose to 84,617 cusecs on May 30.

Such a dip passes its impact to Sindh’s barrages, as Guddu showed low upstream discharge of 55,776 cusecs on June 2 after reporting maximum of 71,915 cusecs on May 27.

Correspondingly, Sukkur and Kotri barrages were bracing for the dip that would continue almost till mid June. Balochistan’s shortage in terms of its share at Guddu Barrage was reported at 50.3pc and 65.2pc at Sukkur barrage. Temperatures continued to vary in upper catchment areas — dropping to 19.4 degrees Celsius on June 2 after having risen to 28.9 degrees on May 18.

Sindh seeks additional flows

In view of the shortage, the Sindh irrigation department had written to the Irsa chairman on Wednesday to sort the ‘disparity’ in water distribution, and seek additional flows. It drew the chairman’s attention towards the May 23 letter of the irrigation ministry about shortages borne by Sindh from April 1 to May 20 in the ongoing Kharif season, which it claimed were 14pc more than Punjab as per the Accord-based allocations and 9pc more in terms of three-tier formula-based distribution. “It is requested to release extra water to Sindh to be utilised before June 10,” the letter stated.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2022