ISLAMABAD: In consultation with the provinces, the Indus River System Authority has decided to begin closing down the canals for their yearly cleaning on Dec 26.

The plan will reduce the output of hydropower units by more than 5,500MW, resulting in loadshedding of two to fours hours a day across the country.

Under its water discharge plan, between Dec 26 and Jan 31 the authority would release 10,000 cusecs of water from Tarbela dam and 8,000 cusecs from Mangla dam to meet the people’s drinking water requirements.

Sources said the federal government would be providing an additional amount of about Rs10 billion to the power companies to ensure enhanced fuel supplies for thermal power generation to limit loadshedding to two hours a day in urban areas and four hours in rural areas.

Under the canal closure plan, Punjab’s lower Jhelum canal will remain closed from Dec 26 to Jan 12, and the Thall canal from Jan 13 to Jan 30.

The canals from the head Tarimu will be closed from Jan 10 to Jan 27 and Sidhnai canal from Jan 11 to Jan 28. The canals from Punjnad will be closed between Jan 5 and Jan 22 and Taunsa from Dec 31 to Jan 17. Sindh’s Kotri barrage will remain closed from Dec 26 to Jan 10 and Sukkur barrage from Jan 5 to Jan 20.

During this period, canals for Balochistan will also remain closed. The canals originating from the Guddu barrage will be closed in April next year.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Chashma Right Bank Canal will remain closed from Jan 1 to Jan 31.