Punjab, Sindh to face water shortage this Kharif: IRSA
Pakistan
Provinces will face shortages of 27pc and 10pc in early and late Kharif season
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Punjab and Sindh would face a shortfall of water available to the provinces at the beginning of the Kharif season, said the Indus River System Authority spokesperson on Thursday.
Punjab and Sindh would face shortages of 27pc and 10pc in early Kharif and late Kharif seasons respectively.
A meeting of the authority, attended by Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Balochistan, Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) and all IRSA members, was convened to finalise Kharif season 2023 (April-September) water availability criteria.
As per the estimates, rivers are expected to receive 95.32 million acre-feet (MAF) this season out of which 13.96 MAF would be prone to system losses and 11.37 MAF would be available for storage, thus leaving 70 MAF water available for use, read an IRSA press release.
3.67MAF water was allocated to KP and Balochistan, while 59.07MAF would be available to balance water for Punjab and Sindh, IRSA stated.
“To resolve the issue of system losses, a committee, under the convenorship of Member IRSA (KP), was decided to be constituted to determine actual system conveyance losses. The committee’s recommendations would apply to the system.”, the statement added.
