Water scarcity has become an extremely serious issue with the prevailing water shortage surging to 45 per cent on May 24. This has compelled the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) to ask the provincial governments to plan the utilization of available supplies. Though water shortage is an issue that many countries in the world have been facing, most of them have opted for efficient planning of the river system, something that appears to be lacking in Pakistan. This is not a new problem, neither is it something the government can do nothing about. Whenever water supplies are likely to dip – and this is nearly every year – the government and its departments and ministries must make concerted efforts for a more cautious and judicious utilization of water. Especially when the dip is touching alarming levels, the situation needs to be tackled head on, rather than the procrastination we usually see. Of course, the federal government and departments have more responsibility in this matter, but provincial irrigation departments cannot blame the federation for all wrongs in water management. The provincial authorities – especially irrigation secretaries – must be careful in estimating rationalized indents.
The volume of water that each province requires must also consider any possible wastages that need plugging at the right time. The more provinces are able to contain the wastage of water, the better it is for the entire water management system. The water situation is likely to improve by mid-June, but in the meantime all tiers of government must cooperate in managing the current 40-45 per cent shortage. This shortfall needs equitable distribution among all riparian areas. Most of all they need better coordination at rim-stations such as Kabul River at Nowshera, Indus River at Tarbela, Jhelum River at Mangla and Chenab River at Marala. As a result of low water supply at these rim-stations, a massive dip is likely to hit the Indus Basin Irrigation System. Moreover, with a lag of about one to two weeks to the provinces, the situation becomes even more precarious due to near-zero storage in the reservoirs. Both Punjab and Sindh are getting about half of their due share, whereas Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are exempt from application of shortages and getting almost full share.
The authorities and consumers of water must now realize the major challenge that has emerged in the Chenab and Jhelum rivers where river flows are less than half of this year’s estimates. This necessitates a more cautious approach in Punjab to manage water so that the lower riparian areas are not fully dried up – which almost they are. Peculiar weather conditions developing in this region have further aggravated the crisis with minimum rainfall so far. The temperatures in upper mountainous areas such as Hunza and Skardu have not been as high as they should be, and that creates low inflows leading to empty storage which is much lower than the 10-year average. Tarbela has already touched dead level, while Chashma and Mangla are also about to touch nil storage. There is an urgent need to inspect barrages and monitor water discharges at points such as Guddu and Panjnad. Related canals also need monitoring as Balochistan is complaining against Irsa’s water allocations despite being exempt from application of water shortages. Shortage of water directly impacts agriculture and dairy output; federal and provincial governments must devise a plan to provide immediate relief to people who are already under stress due to inflation. Food insecurity due to water shortage will be a burden many just won’t be able to afford.