HYDERABAD: Sindh irrigation department has again urged the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) to restrict water release for Chashma-Jehlum (CJ) and Taunsa-Panjnad (TP) link canals in the wake of fresh dip in flows in the Indus Rivers System.

The latest dip will affect water availability in command areas of right bank canals of Sukkur barrage and Balochistan’s share in water from the barrage, the major reason that prompted the irrigation department to knock at Irsa’s door.

The irrigation department’s director (regulator) wrote to the Irsa director (operations) recently with reference to the latter’s Aug 10 letter, arguing that Irsa’s advisory committee meeting held on April 8, ahead of commencement of Kharif, had anticipated 15 per cent losses in the Indus system from River Input Monitoring (RIM) stations.

The RIM stations -- control structures on a river like barrages and reservoirs that measure water inflows -- for the Indus Rivers System are; Kalabagh barrage for the main Indus river, Marala barrage for the Chenab river, Marala reservoir for the Jehlum river and Sulemanki and Balloki barrages for the Sutlej and Ravi rivers.

“Sindh has reservations on calculations made by Irsa to determine provinces’ share in water as the authority applies equal share in losses to both upper and lower riparian [provinces],” said the letter.

For instance, the director contended, Kotri barrage was located 700 miles away from Chashma barrage whereas Kalabagh barrage was located upstream Chashma barrage and Taunsa was about 150 miles from Chashma barrage, therefore “applying the same ratio of losses for Kalabagh, Taunsa and Kotri barrages’ canals is unjustified”.

He said that losses were being added percentage-wise to ten-daily water allocations at Chashma barrage. “The factual position is that allocations are earmarked at the heads of canals and sufficient discharge is to be released in order to deliver allocated discharge at the canals’ heads,” he said.

He urged Irsa to calculate losses reach-wise and then add to the provinces’ share as defined in the Water Apportionment Accord’s Para-2 to distribute water judiciously. In view of the fresh dip in flows, transfer of water from the Indus to Jehlum-Chenab system through CJ and TP link canals might be “restricted”, he advised.

An irrigation official said that if losses were calculated at Guddu instead of Chashma barrage only then Sindh would be able to get its allocated flows. When the flows were inadequate as the authority claimed then why the link canals were still receiving flows, he asked.

He said that Irsa had reduced flows for CJ link canal from 10,000 cusecs a couple of days back to 5,000 cusecs, which should instead have been closed altogether.

Sukkur barrage’s right bank canals

The emerging situation will once again put rice growers in Sindh and Balochistan in a quandary as they were supposed to get water for rice cultivation in May but received it in June and once again, the water flows are likely to be compromised because canals have silted up.

Balochistan has been clamouring against unavailability of its share of water in Sukkur barrage, so are the barrage’s right bank canals’ growers who have cried hoarse over shortage of water, forcing outgoing and new ministers of irrigation to visit Qambar-Shahdadkot area and Sukkur barrage to assess the situation.

Sukkur barrage control room in-charge Abdul Aziz Soomro said: “The growers who have sown paddy belatedly will again face uncertainty because of unreliable flows. The pond level at Sukkur barrage dropped to 199.5 feet by Aug 15 which has been consistently at 200 feet since Aug 3 till Aug 12,” said Soomro.

He said that drop in the pond level was not a good sign for water availability for the right bank canals. The dip at Chashma barrage would not favour Sindh growers, he said.

Explaining the drop in flows, he said that Chashma had 262,000 cusecs flows on Aug 5, which dropped to 228,000 cusecs on Aug 6, 190,000 cusecs on Aug 7, 166,000 cusecs till Aug 13.

“Flows at Panjnad were 52,000 cusecs on Aug 7, which drastically dropped to 4,888 cusecs on Aug 13,” he said.

The impact of the dip is felt at Guddu barrage after flows from Chashma have been released and Taunsa have received its share out of them. “August is usually a month of floods when barrages remain at low flood level but currently flows have dropped due to lower than expected rainfall and drop in temperature in Skardu, which is again going to affect overall flows,” he said.

Now Guddu barrage is likely to receive around 115,000-116,000 cusecs upstream flows by Aug 16. Guddu had risen to low flood level on Aug 9 and it was set to get reduced flows while Sukkur barrage did not reach low flood level in current monsoon. The barrage will get below 100,000 cusecs upstream as it receives 88,970 on Aug 15.

Soomro said that Sukkur barrage had 252,345 cusecs flows on Aug 8, 227,155 cusecs on Aug 10 and 109,330 cusecs on Aug 13. “We will now be totally dependent on Tarbela dam,” he said.

Dr Arbab’s letter to chief minister

Prime Minister’s Special Assistant for Sindh Dr Arbab Ghualm Rahim has addressed a letter to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, drawing his attention toward nagging water shortage in Sindh and advising him to take measures to resolve it.

“I have learnt that the irrigation department is being run by Ali Hassan Zardari for all practical purposes,” he said.

He blamed water shortage in Sindh on mismanagement and rampant corruption and said the department had approved direct outlets from main canals for influential people, a practice which had been disapproved by courts. “I advise you to take measures to address the problem of artificial water shortage,” he said.

Meanwhile, a source in the irrigation department said that Shahdadkot’s MPA Sardar Khan Chandio, approached the chief minister on Friday, seeking water allocation for Warrah area shifted from Rice Canal to North Western Canal of Sukkur barrage to provide water to growers of the area.

The CM asked secretary of irrigation the same day to make the necessary changes to ensure all stakeholders received their justified water allocation, said the source.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2021