HYDERABAD: Sindh is bracing for a severe water shortage in the command areas of Sukkur and Kotri barrages amid early sowing of summer (Kharif) crops.

Storages in two national reservoirs —Tarbela and Mangla — remained at dead level since February. Tarbela dam — built on Indus River — is primary source of water supplies to Sindh where ongoing work of removal of natural rock barrier in T3 and T4 tunnels necessitated depletion of storage in the dam.

Tarbela has been at dead level since Feb 22 and run of the river flows were being released. Sindh irrigation officials at Sukkur and Kotri barrages consider depletion of reservoir as main reason for current shortage that was recorded at 52pc at Sukkur on Mar 17. Shortage was seen in the barrage’s Nara and Rohri canals which feed lower Sindh’s areas where farmers go for early sowing of summer crops, chiefly cotton. It is Kotri barrage’s Akram Wah that witnesses early sowing of Kharif crops.

As farmers got better price last year and Sindh witnessed growth in cotton production, farmers want to grow cotton early to avoid any impact of rain and harvest crop safely. Kotri barrage is having adequate water supplies though for the time being. It may soon be facing shortage, currently recorded at Sukkur barrage. The former is getting flows released earlier.

Anomaly in figures

Irrigation officials found anomaly in water flows’ figures. “As Panjnad barrage [downstream Mangla] was recording 72,000 to 73,000 cusecs flows during Jan 14 to 15 and 85,000 cusecs on Jan 16, Trimmu barrage upstream Panjnad recorded fall i.e. around 62,000 cusecs downstream [from 95,000 to 33,397 cusecs]. This fall was not seen at Panjnad surprisingly though,” said an official.

Flows downstream Panjnad reach Guddu within two days considering travel time between the barrages. Panjnad was witnessing closure of its canals at that time and its increased flows were not being reflected at Guddu barrage. Guddu reflected a raise of 41,400 cusecs on Jan 17, that too inclusive of additional flows from Indus River. “For us it’s anomaly in flows,” said the official. He added that flows between Taunsa and Guddu remained confusing, too.

Irrigation officials had noted abnormal flow figures between barrages in Punjab and then at Guddu in Sindh considering the fact that flows being reported at Panjnad were not actualised at Guddu. This led to complaint by Sindh to the Indus River System Authority (Irsa). After Tarbela dam hit dead level due to depletion in water storages, flows from Mangla were released for Sindh that were rarely seen despite the dam being a national reservoir.

Due to inconsistent flow figures, Irsa deputed its executive engineer (operations) Jalil Soomro and Punjab’s executive engineer Taunsa at Guddu barrage to monitor flows and Sindh’s assistant executive engineers Aurangzeb Chachar and Javed Chachar were posted at Panjnad and Taunsa barrages respectively for flows reporting.

The ongoing water shortage, lately, led to some acrimony between Sukkur barrage chief engineer Sardar Shah and Kotri barrage chief engineer Haji Khan Jamali over water flows being released downstream Sukkur for Kotri barrage. Kotri chief engineer noted 3,150 cusecs flows downstream Sukkur barrage around March 16 that means zero flows for Kotri upstream if one-week travel distance between the two barrages was anything to go by.

‘Regenerated water’

Kotri barrage management noted that in fact this barrage was receiving regenerated water from within the Indus riverbed and flows from Manchhar lake. This is not quality water of Indus. Sukkur barrage’s downstream flows are also used by ‘lifting mode’ of irrigation near Sann that affects overall flows availability at Kotri upstream. Considerable water losses between Kotri and Sukkur are also to be factored in. With flows of 3,150 cusecs or so, Kotri barrage officials would have found it difficult to ensure drinking water supplies to Karachi through Keenjhar Lake, fed by perennial Kalri Baghar (KB) feeder. KB channel usually gets 1,200 cusecs of water for Karachi.

Diversion of flows

After a conversation between the CEs of the two barrages, downstream flows from Sukkur increased from 3,150 to 5,000 cusecs and the additional flows were withdrawn from Nara and Rohri canals. As a result, these two canals started facing shortage. Sukkur barrage’s overall shortage has now increased from 46.6pc to 52pc on Mar 17, when shortage in Nara was reported at 43pc and in Rohri 57pc.

Impact of this shortage is being passed on to Balochistan as well and that province’s share from Sukkur barrage’s Khirthar canal at Garang regulator was decreased from 485 cusecs to 418 cusecs on Mar 17.

Irsa, Sindh differ on flows

Irsa director (operations) Khalid Idris Rana believes that Sindh was facing 25pc shortage in Rabi’s end against anticipated 28pc. “T3 and T4 works were unanimously allowed by Irsa’s advisory committee given timing of lean period. The works will continue till Apr 17-18. We started with 55,000 cusecs flows from Mangla for Sindh after depletion in Tarbela,” he said while elaborating that Sindh at this point of time only needed flows for cotton sowing, orchards and vegetables for which around 40,000 cusecs water flows, inclusive of Mangla’s, were being made available to it.

A Sindh irrigation official, however, disagrees with him. “Guddu is having only 24,000 flows against what Mr Rana puts 40,000 flows. It shows a deficit of 16,000 flows,” he said, and insisted that the shortage in Sindh was 40pc and this was going to worsen if meteorological department’s “no rain” forecast was to be believed.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2022