Supplementing main rivers flow

Mangla Dam’s outflow doubled

By Our correspondent

LAHORE: Outflows from Mangla Dam has been doubled to supplement low inflows of main rivers after temperature drops in the catchment area.

The low inflows at Indus River at Tarbela Dam may bring water level to rock bottom in a couple of days. Dwindling river flows prompted Indus River System Authority (IRSA) to increase outflow to 80,000 cusecs from 40,000 cusecs in last four days. The river flows this year are not up to the expectations as well as in line with seasonal pattern.

According to official data, daily total inflows of all rivers are 40 to 50 thousand lesser if compared with average flows of last ten years. As per Wapda water report, the position of the river inflows and outflows at Tarbela, and Mangla along with the reservoirs levels and the barrages today is as under: Rivers: Indus at Tarbela: Inflows 93700 cusecs and Outflows 110900 cusecs, Kabul at Nowshera: Inflows 56300 cusecs and Outflows 56300 cusecs, Jhelum at Mangla: Inflows 60300 cusecs and Outflows 85000 cusecs, Chenab at Marala: Inflows 41400 cusecs and Outflows 11500 cusecs. Barrages: Jinnah: Inflows 166700 cusecs and Outflows 159700 cusecs, Chashma: Inflows: 170300 cusecs and Outflows 170000 cusecs, Taunsa: Inflows 155800 cusecs and Outflows 139300 cusecs, Panjnad: Inflows 11900 cusecs and Outflows Nil cusecs, Guddu: Inflows 91600 cusecs and Outflows 70400 cusecs, Sukkur: Inflows 62300 cusecs and Outflows 26200 cusecs, Kotri: Inflows 15400 cusecs and Outflows Nil cusecs. Reservoirs (Level and Storage): Tarbela: Minimum operating level 1392 feet, present level 1397.27 feet, maximum conservation level 1550 feet, live storage today 0.046 million acre feet (MAF). Mangla: Minimum operating level 1050 feet, present level 1160.60 feet, maximum conservation level 1242 feet, live storage today 2.224 MAF.

PMA slams PMDC: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has slammed Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) said it provided cover to the uncontrolled financial interests of private medical colleges in the name of their categorisation.

“The council’s unelected members are destroying the medical education and healthcare system with their dictatorial mindset,” said Dr Ashraf Nizami, PMA president, Lahore, after a meeting here, according to a press release issued on Sunday.

He said that PMDC’s unelected members were taking illogical decisions in haste to serve financial interests of their favourite persons and institutions, which is unacceptable. He said that minimum standards for medical education were essential, but most of the private medical colleges did not meet the minimum required standards of the PMDC.

On the other hand, the faculty in public sector medical institutions and required facilities for the patients in attached government hospitals were lacking, which speaks volumes about the pathetic performance of the PMDC as a regulator of medical education and healthcare services in the country, the PMA leader said.

He urged the chief justice of Pakistan to take suo motu in order to bring transparency in the affairs of the council.