LAHORE: The water storage in the Tarbela Dam has reduced to its minimum or dead level, resulting in a massive reduction in its hydel power generation, while official sources claim the reservoir will attain a considerable water level soon as snow melting has already started due to the recent increase in temperatures.

“At present, our inflows and outflows are equal, that means the water entering the reservoir is being released to provinces for irrigation purposes as per indent allocated by the Indus River System Authority (Irsa),” an official source told Dawn on Sunday.

“Till we cross the indent of 40,000-cusec outflows, which is now 24,300 cusecs on an average, storage can’t go up from the dam’s minimum operating level,” he clarified, adding that the situation would improve very soon, as the snow melting had already started.

According to the daily report issued by the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), the minimum operating level in Tarbela is 1,392 feet, whereas the level recorded on Sunday was also the same (1,392 feet). The maximum conservation level of the reservoir is 1,550 feet, while the live storage recorded on Sunday was zero.

The Mangla Dam, which has the minimum operating level of 1,050 feet, currently has 1082.25 feet level. The maximum conservation level was recorded 1,242 feet, while the live storage remained at 0.181MAF (million acre feet).

In Chashma, the minimum operating level is 638.15 feet, while its present level is 640.80 feet. Its maximum conservation level is 649 feet, with 0.037MAF live storage.

Rivers

The Indus inflows at Tarbela are 30,600 cusecs and outflow 30,600 cusecs, Kabul inflows at Nowshera 25,300 cusecs and outflows 25,300 cusecs, Jhelum inflows at Mangla 39,400 cusecs and outflows 25,000 cusecs, Chenab inflows at Marala 25,400 cusecs and outflows remained 19,100 cusecs.

BARRAGES: Jinnah: Inflows 40,700 cusecs and outflows 37,200 cusecs, Chashma inflows 37,400 cusecs and outflows 25,000 cusecs, Taunsa inflows 23,500 cusecs and outflows 19,900 cusecs, Panjnad inflows 14,500 cusecs and outflows 10,500 cusecs, Guddu inflows 25,300 cusecs and outflows 21,600 cusecs, Sukkur inflows 21,300 cusecs and outflows 7,000 cusecs, Kotri inflows 6,100 cusecs and outflows 100 cusecs.

“The inflows and outflows of the River Indus at Tarbela, Jinnah and Chashma, River Kabul at Nowshera and River Jhelum at Mangla have been reflected, as mean flows of 24 hours, whereas the other flows have been gauged at 6am,” reads the report.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2022