22 January 2004	Thursday	29 Ziqa'ad 1424

ISLAMABAD, Jan 21: Over half of the irrigation water released by the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) for Sindh is being stolen by unscrupulous elements in the Indus system, it is learnt.

Sources in Irsa told Dawn on Wednesday that up to 53 per cent of water was being stolen despite closure of the canals in Punjab. Hundreds of individual farmers in Punjab as well as Sindh were using lift machines near the river banks to utilize water released for Sindh, they said.

They said the canal system for Punjab was closed and the province was getting zero water releases at present. About 53pc of the water released from the Mangla Dam and the Indus system during Jan 16-20 went missing as it did not reach the Guddu Barrage, the sources said.

Canals were opened for Sindh on Jan 11, and around 17,000 to 20,000 cusecs water is being stolen every day since then. On Jan 16, 30,000 cusecs water was released from Chashma and 5,000 cusecs from Mangla, of which 29,000 cusecs water went missing.

The water loss on Jan 17 was reported to be 28,000 cusecs and it came down gradually to 17,000 cusecs per day by Jan 19. On Jan 20, 30,000 cusecs water was released from Chashma which was reduced to 17,700 cusecs when it reached Taunsa. Similarly, 5,000 cusecs released from Mangla reduced to 3,500 cusecs when it reached Punjnad on Jan 20.

In reply to a question, the sources said that Sindh irrigation authorities had not yet complained about the water theft but Irsa was expecting it in a day or two.

They said Irsa could do nothing to check the situation even if Sindh formally lodged a complaint with the authority because it was an administrative problem to be resolved by the province itself.

On Wednesday, water level at Tarbela Dam was recorded at 1,440 feet against its dead level of 1,369 feet. The river inflow and out-flow at Tarbela was recorded at 16,800 and 19,000 cusecs, respectively.

The water level at Mangla was recorded at 1,116 feet against its dead level of 1,040 feet. The river inflow and out-flow in Jhelum at Mangla was recorded at 9,302 cusecs and 5,000 cusecs, respectively.