ISLAMABAD: With water shortages estimated at 12 per cent for the upcoming Kharif season, the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) was informed on Friday that the additional capacity of Mangla Dam, built at a cost of Rs102 billion in 2008, would be used for water storage this year.

The Irsa’s advisory committee at a meeting held here on Friday with its chairman Syed Mazhar Ali Shah in the chair decided to distribute water among the provinces under the existing three-tier system and meet every month to review the situation and make adjustments accordingly, said Irsa spokesman Khalid Idris Rana.

The Irsa chairman, who separately spoke to the media, however, said the water distribution would be made in compliance with para-2 of the Water Apportionment Accord, 1991. He said the shortage was estimated for the early part of the season, adding that the distribution would take place under para-2 of the accord because river flows would hopefully improve in the wake of snowfalls in northern areas.

Mr Rana said the committee estimated a water shortage of 20 per cent for early Kharif and 10 per cent for the later part of the season, with net shortfall for the entire Kharif at 12 per cent. As such, Punjab’s share was worked out at 31.65 million acre feet (MAF), followed by 28.82 MAF for Sindh, 2.52 MAF for Balochistan and 0.82 MAF for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said the distribution would be made under the existing system – even though Irsa had demanded water sharing under para-2 of the accord.

According to the existing system, water distribution is made under a three-tier formula, which means that in case of shortages, the distribution will take place in line with para 14(b) of the accord under which provinces get water according to historic uses. In case of absence of any shortage, the distribution will be made according to para-2 of the accord under which provincial shares are fixed. In case of surplus water, para-4 of the accord comes into play that provides equal share of 37 MAF each to Sindh and Punjab.

Mr Rana said the advisory committee estimated 40 per cent water losses for early Kharif season which was objected to by Punjab which wanted to assume system losses on the lower side.

He said the member water Wapda had requested the committee that efforts should be made for filling of dams instead of releasing water for irrigation and added that all constraints relating to filling of Mangla dam had been removed after resolution of settlement issues with local people affected by the dam’s additional height.

Thus, Mangla could be filled up to 1,242 feet for the first time above its traditional maximum storage level of 1,202 feet. The dam raising project was completed in 2008 but its 2.8 MAF of additional capacity could not be utilised despite surplus flows because of the floods, owing to resistance from the affected people demanding payment of compensation and their resettlements.