IRSA Enhances Irrigation Supply Following River Flow Surge

ISLAMABAD: The Indus River System Authority (IRSA) has initiated the provision of comprehensive irrigation resources to all four provinces, prompted by a notable increase in water flow across the primary rivers. This move effectively eliminates prevailing water shortages.

The aggregate water shortfall from April 1 to June 30 of the current year is now anticipated to fall below 20%, according to recent reports.

The Irsa Advisory Committee (IAC) is scheduled to convene on Monday to assess the evolving water landscape and finalize the projected water availability benchmarks for the remaining duration of the period.

The meeting will host key figures including the Chief Engineer Advisor to the Ministry of Water Resources, representatives from Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), and secretaries from the Irrigation and Agriculture departments of all four provincial governments.

According to Irsa spokesman Khalid Idrees Rana, the improvement in water inflows is primarily due to a temperature increase up to 26.7 degrees in Skardu, which has facilitated water storage in dams. Approximately 2.111 million acre-feet (MAF) of water has been stored to date. He noted that any potential decrease in water inflows during May and June will be compensated by utilizing the stored water to irrigate the Kharif crops.

Rana added that with the rise in water flows to an adequate level, Irsa commenced the supply of indented water volumes to all provinces starting May 3. Current provisions include 84,100 cusecs per day for Punjab, 60,000 cusecs for Sindh, 2,000 cusecs for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), and 1,000 cusecs for Balochistan.

In Sindh, cotton sowing has concluded, while it is underway in southern Punjab. The cultivation of other Kharif crops, such as rice, is set to begin in May and June, along with the commencement of sugarcane irrigation.

Initial estimations for April indicated a water shortage of 43%, which was subsequently reduced to 27% by April 22 and further to 22% by April 28. The accumulative water deficit is now expected to drop below 20% following the IAC meeting.

Addressing concerns regarding a substantial reduction in Chenab River water flows, from 66,500 cusecs to 35,600 cusecs between May 3 and May 4, the spokesman clarified that the increase in Chenab’s water flow was due to a flood-like situation, which has now normalized following the recession of floodwaters.

Contrarily, it was indicated that the decline in the Chenab River’s water levels on May 4 was attributed to Indian authorities filling the Baglihar project storage. However, data indicates that normal flows have remained above 30,000 cusecs per day.

As of May 4, water flow data shows that the Indus River at Terbela has increased to 91,500 cusecs, Kabul River to 35,900 cusecs, Jhelum River at Mangla to 44,300 cusecs, and Chenab River at Marala has returned to a normal flow of 35,600 cusecs after peaking at 66,500 cusecs the previous day.