SUKKUR, July 23: Sindh will face an unprecedented shortage of water in next five days as the Indus River System Authority has cut supply to the province from 165,000 cusecs to 127,000 cusecs, according to official sources.

The supply might be further reduced to 100,000 cusecs if water level in the Tarbela Dam did not increase in next few days, the sources added. At present, the Dadu Canal is facing 30 water shortage but if the current situation prevails, all the seven off-taking canals of the Sukkur Barrage will face water shortage from 30 to 40 per cent, which can play havoc with the standing crops, ,particularly rice.

The chief engineer of irrigation has written a letter to the engineers of Sukkur and Kotri barrages and their off-taking canals, apprising them of upcoming water shortage and advising them to announce water rotation programme for the canals. According to the irrigation sources, on Thursday the Sukkur Barrage was supplied 160,000 cusecs instead of 190,000 cusecs

On Friday water level at upstream Guddu Barrage was recorded at 164,000 cusecs while downstream level remained at 133,000 cusecs. Sukkur Barrage upstream level was 120,415 cusecs and downstream 59,465 cusecs. At upstream Kotri Barrage, water level was 36,941 cusecs and downstream nil.

According to agriculture experts, water shortage has caused great damage to rice crop in Sindh, which needs more water at this time. If the shortage continues, the Rabbi crops may also be badly affected.

According to the irrigation authorities, the level of Tarbela Dam has further reduced to 3.5 feet in the last 24 hours and its pond level was 1426.72 feet on Friday, recording 93 feet decrease as compared to the last year's situation.

Due to no rainfall in the catchment area and decrease in the temperature of the Northern areas, snow melting has slowed down, resulting less flow to the Tarbela Dam.

CANAL BREACHED: Some 200 feet wide breach occurred in Shahi Wah between Thul and Manjhipur in Jacobabad district on Friday, due to which more than 25 villages and crops spread over hundreds of acres were inundated.

Besides, dozens of houses collapsed and more than one dozen electric supply poles fell down, which resulted in suspension of power supply to hundreds of villages. The irrigation officials had reportedly closed a regulator of the Majoty Shakh to stop water flow to Balochistan, which resulted into an increased pressure on the weak embankments of the Shahi Wah, which developed the breach.

The gushing water from the breach all of a sudden inundated hundreds of acres of farmland and 25 villages. However, people with their valuable items left the villages, leaving their cattle behind, and gathered on a safe embankment of the waterway.

The water current was so strong that it uprooted more than one dozen electric poles due to which electricity supply to hundreds of villages was discontinued.

DCO, Jacobabad, Shafqat Ali Talpur, with the irrigation officials, reached the breach spot, where the breach was partially plugged after hectic efforts of 12 hours. The affected villages include those of Hubdar Khoso, Amanullah Khoso, Aftab Khoso, Qurban Khoso, Zafar Ali and Haji Mohammad Hashim.