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| Sindh to get 32,000 cusecs extra water daily |
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Thursday, June 25, 2009
By Dilshad Azeem
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Zardari has barred the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) from storing more water in existing reservoirs to provide additional water to Sindh till the prevailing dip period is over, sources told The News.
“Sindh will get extra 32,000 cusecs daily owing to stoppage of Tarbela storage besides enhanced discharges from Punjnad, Chenab and Mangla dam waters,” sources privy to a high level two-day meeting exclusively on water issue disclosed here Wednesday.
The president “convinced” the Indus River System Authority (Irsa), Punjab and Wapda on increasing discharges to Sindh from the present 116,000 to 148,000 cusecs daily with Punjab getting to 101,000 cusecs a day water release against its 150,000 cusecs demand, the sources maintain.
The decisions were finalised without direct participation of the representatives from Punjab, NWFP or Balochistan as the authorities claim to have taken Punjab into “confidence” through telephonic conversation.
An official spokesman has confirmed the immediate increase of water releases to Sindh province by 32,000 cusecs per day and non-participation of irrigation representatives from any other province except Sindh.
President Zardari had called the meeting in Karachi following the whole irrigation system from Tarbela upstream to Kotri barrage collapsed and the provinces’ demand were cut down by 40 per cent with immediate effect.
All five Irsa members, the governor and chief minister Sindh, the Wapda chairman, the information minister Sindh, the relevant irrigation authorities from Sindh and others but none from rest of the three federating units were invited to the two-day session.
Moreover, Sindh will get a relief of 32,000 cusecs bringing its water share to 148,000 cusecs against its indent of 170,000 cusecs daily, a nominal shortage of about 12 per cent against Punjab’s 32 per cent till the dip period prevails.
Sowing of cotton and rice crops in both Punjab and Sindh is under way and in these circumstances southern Punjab would be the hardest hit area. The Water Apportionment Accord (WAA) 1991, the only consensus water agreement among provinces, provides that both major federating units, Punjab and Sindh, would share equal shortage with rest of two, Balochistan and NWFP, exempted from such condition.
“Wadpa has been asked to maintain the water storage at Tarbela only up to 1,376 feet against its dead level of 1,369 although eight of its 16 power units tripped due to mud influx just a few days back.”
The dip period started ten days back with Irsa deciding to provide water to the provinces in accordance with their indents thus causing a collapse of the system from top to low riparian. According to earlier projected figures, there should have been at least 350,000 cusecs per day water availability nowadays whereas in reality it is less than 159,000 cusecs.
“The meeting has decided unanimously that a relief of 32,000 cusecs should be given to Sindh province owing to the fall of system due to cloud cover at Glacier and there was no disagreement,” said Irsa official spokesman Khalid Idrees.
The spokesman said Guddu barrage upstream would have at least 95-100 thousand cusecs per day thus minimising the chances of losses to the crops in the province. When asked about absence of the three provinces, the official said Punjab, which is a major stakeholder in irrigation, was consulted on telephone before taking the decisions.
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