DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The Indus River System Authority (Irsa) has convened a meeting to examine the acute shortage of Punjab’s authorised water share at the Ramak Cross Regulator on the Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC), with representatives of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Wapda and other relevant departments expected to attend.
According to a letter issued by Irsa secretary Mohammad Khalid Idrees Rana on Aug 7, the meeting will be held on Aug 10 in the office of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary in Peshawar. The Punjab irrigation department has been asked to nominate an officer well versed in the matter to represent the province.
The meeting will review the reasons for the shortfall in Punjab’s authorised share at the Ramak Cross Regulator, water availability and operational issues concerning the regulator and distribution system. The participants are also expected to consider measures to address the shortage.
Irsa has also asked Wapda’s general manager (North), the chief engineer/project director Chashma and other relevant officials to ensure their participation in the meeting.
The issue has assumed significance amid repeated complaints by farmers in Dera Ismail Khan and adjoining areas of Punjab over water shortages and alleged irregularities in the distribution of CRBC water.
Farmers and representatives of the Dera Ismail Khan Chamber of Agriculture have held protests in the district, while growers in Taunsa and adjoining areas of Punjab have also raised concerns over inadequate water supplies.
The farmers have called for transparent distribution of CRBC water, action against alleged water theft and the provision of water to each area according to its authorised share. They have maintained that shortages and alleged diversion of water are affecting crops and placing an additional burden on farmers who pay irrigation charges and other taxes.
The latest Irsa initiative brings representatives of the concerned provincial and federal institutions together to examine the issue.
Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2026