After torrential rains in the upper catchments, the rivers Chenab and Jhelum attained the level of medium flood respectively at Marala head-works near Sialkot and at Mangla near Jhelum city on Wednesday. Flood Forecasting Centre Lahore told Business Recorder that the first wave of 1,80,700 cusecs of water entered Pakistan near Sialkot at 10.00 hours. More than 0.1 million cusecs of water was flowing in the Mangla dam on river Jhelum on Wednesday afternoon.
Meanwhile the Indus Rivers System Authority has reduced water outflow from the Mangla dam to minimal level of 10,000 cusecs for the purpose of generation of hydel electricity so that maximum quantities of water could be retained in the dam. The Punjab Canal Regulator Eng. M H Siddiqui told this scribe that water managers of the country have planned to use the flood water in the river Chenab for meeting irrigation water needs of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan and reduce outflows from Mangla and Tarbela dams for sowing and growing the winter crops including strategic wheat, grams, oil-seeds, vegetables, fodder for livestock and fruit orchards.
Mainly dry weather is expected in most parts of the country on Thursday, However more isolated rain-thunderstorm is expected in Malakand, Hazara, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore divisions, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir and adjoining hilly areas during tonight. Widespread rain-thunderstorm occurred in Islamabad, Upper Punjab, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, while at scattered places in upper FATA, whereas at isolated places in Hyderabad and Multan divisions is expected in next 24 hours.
