May 13, 2008	Tuesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 7, 1429

LAHORE, May 12: Farmers in south Punjab, who get water from the Indus River, continue facing exceptionally high shortage because of a flawed water distribution mechanism, and are facing difficulties in getting even drinking water, leaving alone sowing cotton.

Dwellers of three districts – Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh and Rajanpur -- who get drinking and irrigation water from DG Khan, Muzaffargarh and Dajal canals, are currently getting only 9,000 cusecs against 24,000 capacity of the canals.

An official of the Punjab Irrigation Department said the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) had taken the provincial share into account, leaving provinces to adjust distribution within their boundaries. The three canals could not be fed from any other source except from the River Indus, he said.

“As soon as flows in the Jhelum or Chenab rivers improves, Irsa cuts Punjab share from the Indus arm, leaving these areas stranded. It is a problem of mechanics, but cost of this procedural problem is certainly very high. These districts produce over four million bales of cotton annually and any water shortage there may harm the yield.”

He said that Punjab was trying to convince Irsa that it must cater to the water needs of the areas from the Indus arm because the provincial government could, in no way, take water to these districts.

But, Irsa obviously had to meet the requirements of other provinces from the Indus and could spare only extra water for Punjab after meeting requirements of other provinces.

Also, the river flow in the country kept their low trend, with the Indus flowing at 56,000 cusecs against 88,000 cusecs on the corresponding day last year.

Similarly, the Jhelum river has dropped to 44,000 cusecs against 47,000 cusecs last year, the Kabul 29,000 cusecs against 68,000 last year and the Chenab at 26,600 cusecs against 34,000 cusecs last year.