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ISLAMABAD, April 2: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said that the government is committed to ensure adequate availability of irrigation water to increase productivity in agriculture sector. He stated this while reviewing the progress on National Programme for Improvement of Water Courses at the PM House on Saturday. The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction over the progress and said that the government was keen to improve water availability for farmers. The government, he reiterated, remained committed to develop the agricultural sector, which was backbone of the economy.
The meeting also discussed various financial and administrative issue related to the programme and dwelt upon ways and means to ensure that the programme remained on track. A number of suggestions also came under discussion. The meeting was attended, among others, by Federal Minister for Food & Agriculture Sikandar Hayat Bosan, Minister for Industries and Production Jehangir Khan Tareen, State Minister for Food & Agriculture Muhammad Ali Malkani and Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Dr Akram Sheikh.
IRSA: Enough water is available in Tarbela and Mangla dams to meet requirements in the coming summer season. According to official data released by the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) here on Saturday, water level was recorded at 1455 ft in Tarbela dam, about 85 ft above the dead-level of 1369 ft. It has a total inflow of 26,900 cusec while the release remained only 15,000 cusec.
Level in Mangla dam was recorded at 1095.70 ft, about 56 ft above the dead-level. It had a total inflow of 44,781 cusec while the release remained 38,000 cusec.
A senior official of IRSA said: “We have enough water to meet requirements in the coming summer season.” Inflow in both the dams will improve after snow melting at low peaks from third week of April, the official said.
When asked about contribution of Kabul and Chenab rivers, he said that water discharge was recorded 28,100 cusec and 22,437 cusec respectively at Nowshera and Marala.— APP
