ISLAMABAD, Jan 29: About 200,000 cusec of water fell into the sea without being utilised for irrigation purposes during the last 10 days of the ongoing Rabi season owing to negligence on the part of Punjab and Sindh and electricity requirements of Wapda, it is learnt.
Sources at the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) said the two provinces had been placing indents since January 19 but did not utilise their water share and as a result about 0.4 million acre feet (MAF) of water has been wasted since then. Additionally, about 12,000 cusec of water was released for power generation by Wapda early last week.
This irresponsible approach of the two provinces and the power utility for not observing the approved water discharge plan and resultant wastage has worried the Irsa authorities, raising fears that such an attitude could result in water shortage by the end of the season or leave no carryover for the Kharif season.
The Irsa has convened a meeting of its advisory committee on February 1, 2007 to take stock of the situation and prevail upon the provinces not to seek withdrawals higher than their genuine irrigation requirements so that such a trend is stopped forthwith.
"The flow of 0.4 MAF of water below downstream Kotri and that too, in this season is nothing but criminal indifference towards prudent utilisation of natural resource," an official of the water and power ministry told Dawn. He said Irsa had projected water shortages for the season in the early days of Rabi, but later it emerged that there was no shortage. "But that does not mean the provinces and Wapda create shortage just because of their irresponsible behaviour," he said.
Informed sources said Irsa had recently written separate letters to the Punjab and Sindh irrigation authorities, conveying that "such wastages are unacceptable" and asked them to draw water according to their genuine needs.
The sources said Sindh had placed before Irsa an indent of 40,000 cusec for the last 10-daily withdrawal plan. However, Sindh’s water utilisation hovered between 23,000 and 30,000 cusec in the last 10 days and sizeable water quantities went downstream Kotri.
Similarly, the provincial irrigation authorities had informed Irsa that canal closure schedule in Punjab had come to an end and that it started withdrawing substantial quantities from its reservoirs. However, Irsa found out later that Punjab’s canal closure was still in place.
Likewise, on the request of the Punjab irrigation authorities, Irsa had reduced releases from the Mangla dam in the aftermath of a breach of Taunsa-barrage embankment about two weeks ago to about 16,000 cusec from 23,000 cusec. However, it later emerged that the Wapda authorities had released up to 28,000 cusec of water even a day after a cut was imposed, thereby wasting about 12,000 cusec of water.
Irsa has estimated about 14 per cent water shortage at the start of the Rabi season this year but timely rains at the sowing stage later resulted in improvement in the situation. Subsequently, the shortage estimates were brought down to zero and it was expected that even the next season would start with a carryover stock of about a million acre feet or so.
The power utility, which has been facing power shortages this year, has been minimising loadshedding through management of provincial water shares in the peak hours and in some cases went beyond the provincial requirements to contain blackouts.
The canal closures in Sindh and Punjab were put to an end from January 19 onwards, although the provinces have been drawing minor water quantities even during the closures.
