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Canal water rotation enforced

to face low river levels

KARACHI: Sindh Government has resorted to distribution of irrigation water to canals by rotation following alarmingly low water level in rivers, more particularly River Indus.

This was stated by Provincial Minister for Irrigation and Power, A.N.G. Abbasi while addressing a press conference here on Saturday.

He said the irrigation department will announce the rotation programme from April 1 for information of growers.

Abbasi said the rotation programme will be announced for next two weeks. However, the department will continue to monitor the programme on weekly basis till such time the water situation in the rivers shows improvement.

He said supply of adequate water to the tail of the system would be ensured under the rotation programme. It will be ensured that minimum rotation is applied in cotton growing areas.

Reviewing the river water situation, the Irrigation Minister pointed out that to date Sindh was not getting water according to its requirements.

He told newsmen that the situation had not been so good even during Rabi season. But with great efforts, arrangements were made to ensure adequate availability of water so that no harm was caused to wheat crop. For this purpose whatever water was available in the reservoirs, was economically utilised and resultantly the province had a good wheat crop.

However, showing concern, he said our dams and reservoirs had now depleted. He said due to lacking rains, water could not be stored in reservoirs as whatever was available, was used for the Rabi crop.

Giving factual position, the Sindh Irrigation Minister informed that according to record, Sindh needs 40 to 42 thousand cusecs of water during the month of March but as per our estimates less than 50 percent water was available.

He said till few days back, water in river Indus was available to the extent of 32,000 cusecs but now dam water had depleted. The situation was also not different in relation to Chenab and Jhelum rivers.

He pointed out that in the month of March, Indus does have a maximum of 36 to 43 thousand cusecs of water and minimum 14 to 16 thousand cusecs where as actually today it had only 15,000 cusecs which is close to the minimum level.

Similarly the Kabul river is having just 2500 to 3000 cusecs whereas in the past its minimum level never went below 4000 cusecs and the maximum being at 38 to 40 thousand cusecs.

Jhelum had the maximum of 54, 66 and 83 thousand cusecs and minimum being at 7, 8 and 12 thousand cusecs, but the actual level as today was only 12000 cusecs which is the minimum level. The same was the situation with river Chenab where minimum level was 10 to 11 thousand cusecs.

He said if all this water is counted together, the whole country had a flow of just 45 to 50 thousand cusecs of water out of which Sindh is not expected to get more than 20,000 cusecs as against its requirement of 42,000 cusecs.ÑAPP