LAHORE, July 20: The Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) plans to take Mangla lake level to 1,206 feet.

The decision has been taken by the authority to provide the country with additional irrigation supplies for about 15 days.

The prescribed optimum level of the lake is 1,202 feet. Last year, the authority took the lake beyond its prescribed optimum level.

The dam design can hold water up to 1,220 feet, but the authority, in consultation with other water managing bodies, has been keeping the maximum level at 1,206 feet as a safety measure.

The additional four feet capacity provides around 0.260 million acre feet water, giving the country a 10-day supply in the late Rabi season when water is desperately needed.

On Sunday, the dam level had already hit 1199.10 feet — barely 2.9 feet less than 1,202 feet. The Jhelum inflow has been reported at 36,000 cusecs and the outflow at 17,100 cusecs.

According to the filling criteria provided by the Indus River System Authority (Irsa), the dam should be filled by Aug 20. But the dam is filling fast and early because the water demand is low following snow melting in the catchment areas and early onset of monsoon.

On the other hand, Tarbela dam has also been having a plenty of water but filling is restricted to one feet a day because of safety precautions.

On Sunday, the Indus supplied 248,000 cusecs of water and 220,000 cusecs were released.