Irsa asks PCIW to take up Jhelum water flows cut with India

ISLAMABAD: In a new development, the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) has asked the Pakistan Commission of Indus Water (PCIW) to take up with Indian counterpart organisation the issue of 82 percent reduced water inflows in the Jhelum River.

The water regulator has asked the PCIW to probe into the massive tumbling in water inflows apart from visiting the Indian sites to know the reality if India is involved in the filling any dam on the Jhelum River.

The letter that Irsa wrote to the PCIW on February 22, 2018, with headline “Drastic reduction in the Jhelum River inflows at Mangla” also addressed to the Ministry of Water Resources, secretary, Wapda Member, secretaries of provincial irrigation departments and Chief Engineer (Mangla) Wapda has asked for an emergent visit of the Jhelum River flowing in Indian side may also be conducted remaining with the ambit of Indus Waters Treaty 1960.

The letter of which a copy is also in the procession of The News unfolds, while mentioning the Jhelum River inflows data that during the period from February 11, 2018, to February 22, 2018, the average water supplies were 2,863 cusecs against the last 10 years average of 16,175 cusecs showing the mammoth deficit in water inflows up to 82 percent.

The phenomenon of, the letter says, tumbling of river inflows has also been seen in all rivers, but a major deviation is observed in the Jhelum River inflows.

Earlier, the Punjab government has also sensitised the PCIW about the 82 percent reduction in the Jhelum River and asked for taking up the issue with Indian authorities concerned.

“We are too much perturbed over the lowest ever water flows in the Jhelum River and has sensitised the Pakistan Commissioner of Permanent Commission Indus Water (PCIW), Syed Mehr Ali Shah about the mammoth dip in the Jhelum River and asked him to take up the issue with Indian counterpart organisation seeking the details and the visit of the sites of the projects of rubber dam and Kishenganga project.” Mr Siddiqui said that there are reports that India is filling the rubber dam with 0.3 million acre feet (MAF) of water at Wullar Barrage and water shifting to Wullar lake through tunnel from Kishanganga dam.

Meanwhile, the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) has issued the letter two major federating units--Punjab and Sindh asking for experiencing the 36 percent water shortage as both Punjab and Sindh have been provided the shortages of 30 percent and 32 percent respectively during the ongoing Rabi season 2017-18 from October 01 to February 20, 2018.

However, according to water inflows data of Thursday shows that in the Mangla dam, the inflows have started improving and increased to 6,700 cusecs from 2,100 cusecs which is a welcoming sign for Punjab.