ISLAMABAD, Feb 4: The Indus River System Authority (Irsa) has increased by 16 per cent the water share of the Punjab and Sindh for the current Rabi season as the overall shortage reduced from 47 per cent to 38pc owing to recent rains.

The Irsa meeting presided over by its Chairman Aman Gul Khattak here on Friday also decided to conserve 0.5 million acre feet (maf) of water for the Kharif season from the current total availability of 1.97 maf in dams.

With this increase, Irsa hoped, the yield of the standing Rabi crops would improve significantly. Mr Khattak told reporters that the recent rains and better water management by the provinces have increased total water availability by 2.938 maf to 23.091 maf which meant an overall 38 per cent shortage after accounting for 0.5 maf carry over storage to the next season.

The Irsa had originally estimated 20.152 maf of water availability at the start of Rabi season and put the shortage at 47 per cent. With the revised share distribution, the Punjab's water share for current season has increased by 1.674 maf to 12.175 maf from original estimates of 10.501 maf.

Similarly, the Sindh's share has increased by 1.264 maf to 9.192 maf from earlier share of 7.928 maf calculated on the basis of 47 per cent shortage. The Irsa chairman said the shares of NWFP and Balochistan would remain unchanged at 0.701 maf and 1.022 maf respectively because the two are normally exempt from cut in their share even in case of shortages.

He said winter rains normally have little impact on immediate river flows or storages but this helped the provinces to reduce their demands which coupled with better management resulted in an additional water availability. He said the snowfall in the catchment areas would contribute positively to the storages.