ISLAMABAD, March 3: The Indus River System Authority (Irsa) on Monday agreed to release one per cent water more than historic share of Sindh before March 18 as total Rabi shortages came down to 30 per cent.

“Since Sindh has already experienced 38 per cent shortages since start of the season, its share during remaining period ending March 31 would be one per cent higher than its historic share”, an Irsa spokesman Khalid Ahmad Rana said.

Punjab would, however, still face 25 per cent shortage in the remaining 28 days of March because it borne only 30.5 per cent shortage till Feb 28, he said.

Sindh and Punjab would get 2.555 million acre feet (MAF) and 2.55 MAF respectively during the remaining period of the Rabi season ending March 31.

Punjab and Sindh have so far utilized 11.276 MAF and 7.884 MAF share respectively till Feb 28. Both the provinces were asked to submit their canal withdrawal plans as per their balance share immediately.

The river system would be regulated according to their plans for the remaining period of Rabi on all-Pakistan basis, Mr Rana said.

Sindh has demanded 42,000 cusec from Chashma for the next 10 days. Punjab asked for 5,000 cusec from Thal canal, 1,000 from Chashma-Jehlum and 6,000 from Taunsa barrage.

Irsa secretary Sohail Ali Khan said Punjab showed magnanimity to agree to release 25,000 cusec from Punjnad for Sindh because Tarbela could not meet its requirement. He said the Sindh would be compensated from Mangla dam because it had already borne shortage more than its share.

Mr Khan agreed that most of the 300,000 cusec additional water that had come from Chenab during the last rainy days had gone waste due to seepages owing to a previous long dry spell and could not even reach Guddu barrage.

However, around 150,000 cusec water currently in the river Chenab following this weekend’s rains would reach Sindh because seepage would not be that much, he added.

Water level in Tarbela was recorded at 1,383.08 feet against its dead-level of 1,369 feet. Water inflow at 33,000 cusec against an outflow of 45,000 cusec. Outflow from Monday onwards would be 25,000 cusec. Inflow at Chashma was recorded at 99,000 cusec on Monday.