LAHORE, Aug 5: The combined river flow in the country, a paltry 257,000 cusecs on Thursday, is much less than the 508,000 cusecs available on the same day last year, and has triggered a scare among water planners of the country.

The Indus River System Authority has squeezed releases to a bare minimum in a desperate bid to improve dams' situation, but all efforts are proving fruitless in the face of the ever-sliding water availability.

On Thursday, the Indus was flowing at 157,000 cusecs, as against 272,000 cusecs on the same day last year. The dam level stood at 1,429 feet, as against 1,540 on the corresponding day last year.

The lake contains only 1.9 million acre feet of water, whereas it had 6.6maf on Aug 5 last year. As per Irsa planning, the dam should have attained a level of 1,525 feet by now.

The Mangla painted an equally gloomy picture with its river flowing at 21,000 cusecs as compared to 31,000 cusecs last year. The water level was 1,158.6 feet, as against 1,201.4 feet on the same day last year. According to Irsa planning, the lake should have been at 1,192 feet, only 14 feet below the full level.

The other two rivers are also behaving in an identical fashion. The Chenab was flowing at 50,000 cusecs whereas it was at 149,000 cusecs last year and the Kabul was at 29,000 cusecs against 56,000 cusecs last year.

According to the chief of Meteorological Department, Shaukat Awan, rains could not be blamed for the current situation. The pattern of monsoon rains varies from year to year. Rain does not necessarily fall in the catchment areas only. It may occur in the plains, and the average fall may be achieved with no benefit to the dams, he said.

It is up to the water planners to save water when it rains in the catchment areas, and release it in dry season. Otherwise, blaming the pattern of monsoon rains does not help anywhere in the world.

Mother nature has its own way of behaving, and it cannot be adjusted according to the needs. A new dam is the need of the hour, which could store water in the flood season and release it in dry season.

Commenting on the situation, provincial irrigation secretary Javed Majeed said the current crunch only underscored the need for another big dam. Though one had to live with the present crisis, it must serve as a catalyst for a new dam. The country was now trying to save every drop of water, as it had lost 21 million acre feet to the sea last year because it did not have a dam to store it.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government on Thursday briefed MNAs and MPAs belonging to the province on the worsening water situation in the country. In an irrigation department briefing, the parliamentarians were told that the government could either save the standing Kharif crop at the cost of the next Rabi crop, or it could damage both.

Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi decided in favour of saving the Kharif crops (cotton and rice), and the department conveyed the decision to the Indus River System Authority.

The MPs were told that Irsa's predictions had not turned out to be true. It had predicted a 13 per cent shortage from April to June, whereas the actual shortage was as high as 40 per cent. According to the Irsa forecast, there should have been no shortage during June and August, but there was a 25 per cent shortage. It came down to 14 per cent in July and August and was expected to go up to 20 per cent in September.

The Punjab Irrigation Department maintained that it had started the Kharif season with empty reservoirs, low rivers' flow and forecast of normal monsoon rains. Now, with half the monsoon season gone, there seems to be no possibility of recovery.