Water crisis again hits as Chenab flow recedes

ISLAMABAD: The two-day respite in Chenab water inflows has ended and water crisis has once again hit as Pakistan is left with just 0.9 million acre feet (MAF) of water stored in Tarbela and Mangla dams.

Both the dams are most likely to touch the dead level in 2-3 days, which will be unprecedented in the months of June, July and August. The water inflows have tumbled alarmingly on account of extraordinary low temperature at 17.8 degree in Skardu, IRSA Spokesman Khalid Idrees Rana told The News. The Indus River System Authority (Irsa) is contemplating to place further cut in water releases that might go up to 15-20 percent.

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

The worst scenario is to be that Tarbela and Mangla dams will reach dead level in next 2-3 days and if it happens, 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 first week of July.

Pakistan currently has 0.9 million acre feet of water in dams knowing the fact that in the same period last year country had stored water of 5.8MAF, 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 contingency 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’s data while painting existing water inflows in all rivers unfolds that in Indus River, water flows so far tumbled by 179 percent as the existing inflows stand at 95,000 cusecs per day whereas they were at 2, 22,000 cusecs per day in last year this time. In Kabul River, water flows reduced by 11 percent 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 percent.

However, in last three days, Chenab flows improved and reached to 1,90,000 cusecs (medium flood) but now it has receded to 88,000 cusecs per day. The exceptional rise in temperature in Skardu and extraordinary monsoon can alone bailout the country out of water crisis. The further cut in water releases by 15-20 percent 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 3-4 MAF for Rabi season crops as in last year it managed to have the carryover of 12 MAF for Rabi season. “This means that food security will badly hit.”