Indus River System Authority (IRSA) states as temperatures drop in catchment areas, national water shortages. They have increased to nearly 30%, up from 10% earlier estimates. According to the Irsa, the next 48 hours are vital.
IRSA reports that it is actually providing water at an 18 percent deficit due to national storages. The next two days, on the other hand, are critical; if temperatures continue to rise, “we’re in serious trouble.”
Punjab, on the other hand, sent Irsa a scathing letter on Wednesday, accusing it of endangering the Mangla dam’s filling. Of its existing distribution preferences. “Punjab demands, emphatically, that Irsa changes Kharif allocations judiciously to meet provinces. Demands in accordance with available inflows at rim stations, without jeopardizing the scheduled filling of Mangla reservoir.
“Mangla Reservoir was experiencing a deficit of 53.30 feet in its estimated levels as projected by Irsa. A 75 percent shortage in volume as measured by Irsa,” Punjab says, fearing the worst. This is a very concerning case. If the current trend persists, the outflow from the Mangla reservoir will be reduced to around 38,000 cusecs in the next 15 days. Having a significant impact on Kharif sowing,” the letter to Irsa states.
The situation at Mangla Dam is deteriorating day by day, and there is a chance that it will not be filled, posing a serious threat to the remaining early Kharif duration and, most importantly, the upcoming wheat season in Punjab. Mangla is the main source of water for the Jhelum-Chenab Zone’s channels, which cover 13 million acres of productive farmland, a region larger than Sindh’s. The farmers of Punjab, as well as the national economy and food security of the country as a whole, will suffer if the Mangla reservoir is not properly filled.”
