ISLAMABAD: Discrepancies in water discharges and their measurement at key inter-provincial distribution sites continued to pile up, leading the Sindh government to boycott an independent inspection at a Sindh-Balochistan border point on Sunday.

An independent team constituted by Indus River System Authority (Irsa) and led by Irsa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Member Abdul Raqib Khan and Secretary Khalid Idrees Rana visited the Garang Regulator at provincial border. The team was accompanied by engineers from the National Engineering Service of Pakistan (Nespak) and superintending engineers from the Balochistan and Sindh irrigation departments.

In the presence of all stakeholders, the team measured flows from the Kirthar Canal at Garang regulator and recorded flows at 2,105 cusecs, as opposed to Balochistan’s stipulated share of 2,400 cusecs for that point.

Abdul Sattar Lakhti, a superintending engineer from the Balochistan irrigation department, complained to the inspection team that Sindh was reluctant to give his province its full share of water despite repeated requests to rectify the problem that emerged early last month.

Irsa shocked by disappearance of water between Tarbela and Besham

The inspection team was also told that the situation at the Pat Feeder canal was even graver and Balochistan had not been getting its full share of water for more than six weeks.

Mr Lakhti told Dawn by telephone that not only was Balochistan getting 300 cusecs less water than its Irsa-approved share, it was also not getting its share at the Pat Feeder either. Balochistan’s share was 6,700 cusecs, but only 5,200 cusecs were being received.

He said the superintending engineer of the Sindh irrigation department and his team had alleged that the measurement taken in the presence of the inspection team was inaccurate and refused to sign the attendance and measurement sheets. He said it was customary that participants of a meeting or inspection signed attendance and measurement sheets for the record, but Sindh’s representatives boycotted the proceedings.

He regretted that while Sindh was releasing 30,000 unauthorised flows downstream from the Kotri barrage, they were not ready to give Balochistan its due share of water. “We have been complaining to Irsa and the Sindh government, but in vain. Today, the Irsa team has witnessed the situation itself. We hope that justice will be done now,” he said.

Meanwhile, Irsa released 15,000 cusecs from the Indus to Punjab for the Chashma-Jhelum Link Canal because of a drop in flows in the Jhelum-Chenab zone and improved flows in the Indus Zone. This was evident from the fact that mean inflows in the Tarbela reservoir were recorded at 224,000 cusecs on Sunday as compared to 200,000 cusecs a week ago and static flows of around 45,000 cusecs in River Jhelum at Mangla.

Discrepancy in river flow records sparks protests

An Irsa official said the Punjab was already getting 2,000 cusecs from the Indus Zone for the Greater Thal Canal and explained that the diversion from the Indus to Chenab Zone through Chashma-Jhelum Link Canal was made through an adjustment in Punjab’s own share.

Over the past few weeks, water regulation and irrigation authorities have found unprecedented variations in river flows and their measurements, resulting in provincial disharmony and massive water losses to the provinces on the River Indus system.

Earlier, Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab had protested over huge water losses between Besham and Tarbela and inaccurate measurements at the Chashma Barrage. Sindh had complained about incorrect measurements between the Chashma and Taunsa barrages and Taunsa and Guddu barrages, with a variation of over 50,000 cusecs.

At a special meeting a few days ago, Irsa had noted with concern the ‘disappearance of Indus water between Besham and Tarbela dam’. According to the department, incoming information from various gauging stations along the river was keenly observed and during the course of the checks, an astonishing variation in discharge measurements of 33 per cent was recorded.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2014