*ISLAMABAD: *The water woes continue, as Tarbela Dam is set to reach thedead level the second time within a span of one month and would createmajor problems for Kharif crops in Balochistan and Sindh.
The water levels at Tarbela Dam according to officials was approaching thedead level in two days’ time and no prospects of instant improvement inriver flow reported *Dawn.*
In April, both Tarbela and Mangla had touched dead levels and the situationremained like that until mid of the month.
Officials disclosed existing storage at Tarbela stood at 4-feet which woulddeplete in two days at the present outflow of 40,000 cusecs against 35,000cusecs of inflows.
Due to hazardous reasons, discharges on Monday were decreased to 40,000cusecs from 45,000 cusecs.
According to officials, Indus River System Authority (IRSA) projected watershortage at 40 percent for the early-Kharif period which was now estimatedto cross 44 percent in case river flows don’t improve.
The looming water crisis has raised tensions between the provinces overdischarges as provincial irrigation authorities want more sway over limitedresources.
Punjab on Monday requested Irsa to decrease indents from Mangla Dam to25,000 cusecs from 28,000 cusecs due to improvement in flows at riverChenab and was sufficient to meet its needs.
But the water regulator refused to cede to the request due to the prospectof creating major problems at Chashma barrage and could require closureTaunsa-Panjnad (TP) link canal.
Hence, the indents from Mangla couldn’t decrease at this juncture andrather Irsa stated it was diverting 4,200 cusecs from Taunsa-Panjnad toJhelum-Chenab zone.
Separately, Sindh irrigation department stated storage at Tarbela was4-feet above 1,386-feet operating level whilst Manga storage was 53-feethigher than its operating level of 1,103-feet.
It decried discharges were ongoing from Tarbela compared to preservation atMangla.
Sindh government stated diversion of water from Indus to Jhelum-Chenab zonevia CJ canal and TP-Link Canal was ongoing notwithstanding wateravailability on Indus was lesser than that on the Jhelum-Chenab zone.
It reminded water scarcity in the province would worsen further in one totwo days’ time if this practice continued.