Pakistan faces huge water shortage for upcoming season
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The country is likely to face up to 27 percent water shortage during the upcoming Kharif season (starting April 1) and the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) has convened a meeting of the advisory committee today in this regard.
The technical committee of the IRSA had anticipated up to 20 to 27 percent water shortage for the early Kharif season, an official source told ProPakistani.
The IRSA’s advisory committee will deliberate on the recommendations of the technical committee regarding water availability during the Kharif season.
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 and ends on March 31, while Kharif starts from April 1 and continues till September 30. Since Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were exempted from cuts in the share, the shortage in water would be distributed between Sindh and Punjab.
Meanwhile, the water availability data released by IRSA said that inflow in Indus at Tarbela was 22,100 cusecs and outflow was 21,300 cusecs, while the inflow in Kabul at Nowshera was 6,900 cusecs and outflow was also 6,900 cusecs. Moreover, the inflow in Jhelum at Mangla was 32,100 cusecs and outflow was 40,000 cusecs, while the inflow in Chenab at Marala was 15,900 cusecs and outflow was 9,700 cusecs.
According to the level and storage of the reservoir, the data reveals that Tarbela is currently at the dead level. Currently, against the minimum operating level of 1,392 feet, Tarbela is presently at 1,392 feet against the maximum conservation level of 1,550 feet. Live storage, as of Wednesday, is 0.000 million acre-feet (MAF).
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