FAISALABAD, Sept 13: Growers in Faisalabad, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala and Hafizabad districts will have to face at least 40 per cent water shortage during the current season due to continuous receding of water level at Mangla and Tarbela dams and less rainfall in the province.

This was stated by Faisalabad Irrigation department Chief Engineer Qazi Anwar Ali while talking to newsmen here on Monday. He said that the water level had been falling in reservoirs and dams on account of significant drop in the rains in catchment areas.

The water level at the Mangla dam had dropped further from 1,202 feet to 1,162 feet while in the Tarbela dam the water level had declined from 1,550 to 1,465 feet. The chief engineer further said that Faisalabad had been supplied 12,000 cusec water from Sept 1 to 10 while 9,500 cusec water from Sept 11 to 15, 8,000 cusec from Sept 16 to 20 and 7,000 cusec from Sept 21 to 30 would be supplied instead of its allocated share of 12,300 cusec water.

He said that the Faisalabad region would have to face 40 per cent water shortage during the current season which would badly affect the standing crops. A rotation programme, he said, had been introduced in the region for the supply of water to growers especially for the Kharif crop so that the situation could be tackled somehow. He admitted that almost all the Kharif crop would severely hit owing to the reduction in the canal water from the Khanki Headworks.