ISLAMABAD, Feb 6: Punjab and Sindh, the major wheat growing provinces, will have to suffer a 73.3 per cent and 70pc water shortage, respectively, in the remaining months of the Rabi season, an official announcement said.

The Indus River System Authority made the announcement after a review of the water situation at a meeting attended by the irrigation ministers of all the provinces on Wednesday.

Having assessed the utilization of water by the provinces, Irsa said they had drawn 60pc of water against a projected shortage of 51pc in the past few months. In the coming months their share would have to be further curtailed, it added.

The authority called upon the irrigation secretaries to utilize water judiciously and advised them to revise their irrigation plans. It underlined the need for adoption of better on-farm water management techniques in view of increasing water shortage.