Indus River System Authority (IRSA) increased water releases downstream the Mangla dam on River Jhelum by 20,000 cusecs abandoning the programme of filling the reservoir beyond 1206ft above the sea level on Tuesday.
Punjab Irrigation engineers told Business Recorder that water inflow in the four live rivers has substantially decreased in the upper parts of the country, therefore the IRSA increased the outflows from Mangla dam to meet irrigation water requirements of central, north and south Punjab for watering the Kharif crops including cotton, rice, sugarcane, maize, vegetables in the last week of September.
They said 68,600 cusecs water is flowing in River Indus, 22,900 cusecs in river at Kabul, 33,000 cusecs in River Jhelum and 23,800 cusecs in River Chenab. They said that Sindh province is receiving 1,05,806 cusecs more water than its current requirements which is being discharged in the Indus delta/Arabian sea. 1,52,000 cusecs water is flowing in Guddu Barrage, 1,69,600 cusecs in Sukkur barrage and 1,35,581 cusecs in Kotri barrage, they added.
They said IRSA has stored 6.557 MAF in Tarbela dam, 4.783 MAF in Mangla dam and 0.216 MAF water in Chashma barrage, total 11.5 MAF for sowing, growing and maturing the winter crops wheat, lentils, grams, oil seeds, fodder, vegetables etc. Meanwhile Meteorological department has forecast mainly dry weather in most parts of the country during next two days. However thundershower may occur at few places of Kohat, Hazara divisions and Gilgit-Baltistan.
