ISLAMABAD, Feb 1: The Indus River System Authority (Irsa) and various stakeholders on Thursday feared substantial water shortages at the end of the current Rabi season owing to 20 per cent lower snowfalls and wastage of about 265,000 cusec of water as a result of over-indenting by provinces and power production by Wapda.

The Irsa and provincial representatives also rejected Wapda’s demand for a 48-hour advance notice for reducing discharges from reservoirs on the ground that it was basically meant for irrigation and varied on the basis of change in the pattern of river flows.

A meeting of the Irsa’s advisory committee presided over by its chairman Mohammad Khan Memon was informed by the Met office that river flows had declined by 32 per cent in January and snowfalls on hills this year were 20 per cent less than normal. The meeting was informed that about 0.555 million acre feet (265,000 cusec) of water went downstream Kotri during the current season as of Thursday.

Mr Memon told reporters after the meeting that the report of 32 per cent lower flows in January had greatly worried the stakeholders. He said the first priority was to meet the provincial water requirements and then think what to do about the next cropping season, i.e. Kharif.

Asked if the water discharge downstream Kotri in the recent months would be accounted for in provincial shares, he said it would be treated as excess water and not as provincial shares. He said the Wapda and the provinces had been asked to present a report within a week on the basis of their own calculations to reach a conclusion as to how much water had gone downstream Kotri unutilised, this season.

He did not offer any estimates of water shortage but said the earlier projections of one million acre feet carryover for the Kharif season would not come true in view of the changed circumstances.

He said there was no remedy to the water already wasted as it could not be brought back but Irsa could only draw the attention of the stakeholders towards this loss and warn about the future.

Sources privy to the meeting told Dawn that Wapda was criticised by the participants for violating Irsa’s directives on water discharges but Wadpa authorities denied such accusations. The Wapda authorities, however, asked for a 48-hour notice for reduction in discharges because thermal plants required about 48 hours for heat up and come on stream.

This was unanimously rejected by the Irsa and provincial representatives. They argued that river flows had their own patterns which kept on changing, and adjustments were made accordingly. The Wapda was informed about any exceptional change in river flows as early as possible but it could not be made a precedent for 48-hour advance notice, they contended.