ISLAMABAD: Indus River System Authority (Irsa) that is regulating and monitoring distribution of water sources of Indus River among all four federating units forecasted on Tuesday that the country will face 14 percent water shortage in Early Kharif season 2019 that has started from April 1. The Irsa’s advisory committee that met here on Tuesday with the authority’s chairman Sher Zaman Khan in the chair projected this shortage. The committee also projected that in late Kharif season the shortage would be six percent.The water Accord 1991 empowered Irsa to determine water availability in the country and provincial share twice a year, once for Kharif season and the other for Rabi season. Rabi season starts from October 1 while Kharif starts from April 1. In Pakistan, Kharif crops include sugarcane, cotton, maize and rice. The committee, however, said that this season, water situation would be better than what was in last Kharif 2018 due to better hydro-meteorological scenario.The committee anticipated the water shortage would be equally shared between Punjab and Sindh, whereas Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would remain exempted from shortages as per existing arrangements. As per the forecast for Kharif, Punjab is expected to receive anticipated water quantity of 33.11 million acres feet (MAF) of water during the Kharif compared to 29.19MAF of last year’s same season.Sindh is anticipated to get 30.17MAF compared to 27.75MAF of same period last year. KPK would get about 820,000 acre feet compared to 990,000 acre feet of same period last year. While Balochistan is expected to receive 2.81MAF compared to 1.69MAF of last year.Sindh, however, advocated sharing as per para-2 of the water apportionment accord 1991, while Punjab held the view that the present 3-tier arrangements by Irsa were very much within the ambit of the accord.Irsa said that the issue was pending with the offices of the Attorney General for Pakistan for recommendation. The outcome was awaited which was ultimately to be discussed and decided by Council of Common Interests (CCI) till then the existing arrangements would remain in vogue.The committee also discussed the expected conveyance losses in the system.Sindh advised 35 percent and Punjab advised 25 percent losses in Indus Zone, however, the advisory committee approved 35 percent losses. It was agreed by all that Irsa team along with M/S International Sedimentation & Research Institute (ISRIP) of Wapda, a subsidiary of Wapda for actual discharge calculations, would make surprise visits of different barrages and would measure the actual flows in the system.It was decided that the executive engineers (XENs) found reporting incorrect discharges by Irsa teams would be recommended for strict action.Upon request by GM Tarbela for maintaining the Tarbela level below 1430 feet up to July 15, 2019 to cater for the operational constraint of tunnel-3, currently under repair, Irsa and provinces were of the view that it would not be advisable to maintain Tarbela at lower levels or else it may endanger the filling of the dam during current Kharif 2019. However, it was decided that in order to further consider Wapda’s constraint, the situation would be reviewed by Irsa keeping in view the prevalent flows in a meeting to be held in the first week of May 2019.The meeting was attended by all Irsa members, chief engineering adviser, representatives of members of water and power of Wapda and representatives of agriculture and irrigation secretaries of the provinces.
04-03-2019, 02:39 PM
Early Kharif season to face 14pc water shortage: Irsa
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