LAHORE, July 12: Widespread downpour improved water flow in many rivers to a substantial 400,700 cusecs, with the Indus leading the water supplies at 234,700 cusecs.

The river Kabul had a flow of 47,000 cusecs, Jhelum 34,600 cusecs and the Chenab 84,400 cusecs. The Indus River System Authority stored over 100,000 cusecs in both dams, and released the rest for irrigation.

With increased outflows, the Tarbela Lake stood at 1,493.27 feet -- a live storage of 3.8 million acre feet. The lake is currently 57 feet below the optimum level of 1,550 feet. Similarly, the Mangla Lake stood at 1,170.25 feet, some 32 feet below the maximum level of 1,202 feet. It currently holds 2.935maf water. The Chashma storage also holds 363,000 cusecs water. According to water experts from Punjab, current rains have increased base flow of rivers that is expected to hold for the next days depending on the weather pattern. If the current rain spell continues, they say, the inflows at Jhelum and Chenab are expected to further increase.

However, the main current contributor is the Indus which does not include monsoon water. In fact, high temperatures in northern areas were the main factor behind increasing river supplies.

“It was expected to be a wet year, part of 12 years cycle that includes highly wet, wet, dry and drought years,” says an official of the Punjab Irrigation Department. He says Irsa can fill the dams at will at present, but has to fill last 30 feet very slowly because of safety considerations. That is why it will fill both dams one foot a day from next week.

“We hope that both dams will be filled this year, given the pattern of river flows – a rarity taken in the context of general water squeeze in the country,” he says. But the tragic part of picture is that the country will still be suffering 22 to 25 per cent water deficit next season.

The country has lost 28 per cent storage capacity which directly translates in corresponding water shortage. A substantial amount of water has already started flowing downstream Kotri Barrage which, he says, accentuates the need for big dams.

“It is not to argue that water should not be allowed downstream Kotri barrage, but only to underscore the point that it should not be an essential quantity.”

During the next two months, (if the history of river flows is something to go by) the country will release 15 to 20maf water downstream Kotri and then fights over every acre foot next season.

Besides building dams to avoid this wastage, the country should also quickly start feasibility studies of Akhori and Dhok Pathan dams and see how quickly they could be built to save 10maf water. Both these sites are still not as controversial as Kalabagh Dam, he says, and it is time to take advantage of the situation and at least start these dams before it is too late.