Water scarcity falls in danger zone

Islamabad : Amid the debate on water crisis across the country and emergence of the chief justice of Pakistan on the scene stressing for building dams in the country, a further mammoth dip, in water flows in country’s all rivers, is being anticipated and given the prevalent situation that is also appalling one. Irsa is all set to place today (Friday) another cut of 15-20 per cent in water release to provinces at rim stations.

And when the water reaches at canal heads, the shortage will be over 50 per cent which is the first ever phenomenon in the water history of the country. The water regulator already placed the cut of 9 per cent in water releases and after that 15-20 per cent slashing down in provincial shares would be the second one in row in the ongoing month adversely hitting the food security of the country.

Top officials confided to The News saying that temperature at Skardu has dropped to 22 per cent which is why a further huge dip in the water inflows is being anticipated in next week and under the worst scenario, in case status quo continues, then in just 7-8 days, Tarbela and Mangla dams will reach dead level and if it happens then it will be first ever in the Pakistan water history as there is no precedent in the past that both reservoirs have reached the deal level in the month of first week of July.

Pakistan currently has 1.3 million acre feet of water in dams knowing the fact that in the same period last year country had stored 5.8MAF water, the official said. “It clearly speaks how bad situation is.” Keeping in view the impending worsening situation, Irsa on Thursday issued the warning to all federating units, particularly Punjab and Sindh asking them to make the contingent plans to tackle more tough days to come, reveals the copy of the letter written to Punjab and Sindh which is also in procession of The News.

The Irsa data, while painting existing water inflows in all rivers, unfolds that in Indus River, water flows so far tumbled by 179 per cent as the existing inflows stand at 95,000 cusecs per day; whereas, they were at 222,000 cusecs per day in last year this time. In the Kabul River, water flows reduced by 11 per cent as the existing inflows stand at 40,000 cusecs if compared with the flows of 61,000 cusecs in last year in the same time.

However, situation in Jhelum that comes from held Kashmir is also not good as water inflows are at 28,000 cusecs per day as compared to 49,000 cusecs per day in last year. In the Chenab River also originating from Indian held Kashmir, the situation is also dreadful as the flows in the said river declined by 41 per cent.

“We are expecting the further major decline in water flows on account of less temperature in catchment areas of the Indus River, owing to which Pakistan’s major reservoirs of Tarbela and Mangla are feared to reach dead level in next 7-8 days,” the official argued saying that exceptional rise in temperature in Skardu and extraordinary monsoon can alone bailout the country out of crisis.

The further cut in water releases by 15-20 per cent will prove detrimental to the Kharif cash crops of sugarcane, rice and cotton and more alarming fact is that if the situation is not improved, Irsa will not be able to have carryover of just 3-4MAF for Rabi season crops as in last year it managed to have the carryover of 12MAF for Rabi season. “This means that food security will be badly hit.”