ISLAMABAD – The water shortage for the provinces in Kharif season has reached to zero as currently there is around 80000 cusecs surplus water in the country’s rivers/canal system, after Tarbela Dam reached to its peak level of million acre feet (MAF).
Currently we have surplus water in the system and IRSA will try to maintain Tarbela Dam to its peak level of 1550 feet till September, so the country will have enough water for the Rabi season starting from October 1st, official source told The Nation here Sunday.
There is 80000 cusecs surplus water in the system, which is over and above the provincial demand, which will be going downstream Kotri, said the official.
The water storage in Tarbela Dam is 6 million acre feet (MAF) and from today (Monday) river Indus inflows and outflows will be the same as there is no space left in Tarbela from Tarbela. However, the outflows from Mangla has been reduced to 10000 cusecs (which is for the drinking water requirement only) against the inflows of 33500 cusecs. The total storage in the country’s reservoirs is 8.826 Million Acre Feet (MAF).On Sunday the total inflows were 376000 cusecs while the outflows were 308900 cusecs.
Mangla Dam is unlikely achieve its peak level this year due to low flows in Jhelum and Chenab rivers during the season, said the official. Mangla is far from peak level as the current live storage in Mangla is 2.662 MAF against the total capacity of 7.4 MAF.Last year during the same period the total storage in the country reservoirs was 13.35 MAF.
The position of the river inflows and outflows at Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma along with the reservoirs levels and the barrages on Sunday is as follow; inflows in river Indus at Tarbela were 221600 cusecs and outflows 178000 cusecs, Kabul at Nowshera inflows 41300 cusecs and outflows 41300 cusecs, Jhelum at Mangla inflows 33500 cusecs and outflows 10000 cusecs, Chenab at Marala inflows 79600 cusecs and outflows 47900 cusecs.
Inflows in Jinnah barrage were 199700 cusecs and outflows 191700 cusecs, inflows in Chashma were194300 cusecs and outflows 170000 cusecs, inflow in Taunsa were 178900 cusecs and outflows 158400 cusecs, Panjnad inflows 32400 cusecs and outflows 18000 cusecs, Guddu inflows 248200 cusecs and outflows 220300 cusecs, Sukkur inflows 198800 cusecs and outflows 143800, Kotri inflows 51800 cusecs and outflows 10100 cusecs.
Tarbela against the minimum operating level of 1386 feet is presently at 1550 feet, maximum conservation level 1550 feet. Live storage of dam is 5.962 million acre feet (MAF).
Mangla against the minimum operating level of 1050 feet is presently 1170.00 feet. The maximum conservation level of Mangla is 1242 feet while the live storage on Sunday was 2.662 MAF.
Chashma against the minimum operating level of 638.15 feet is presently is 647.40 feet. The maximum conservation level of Chashma 649 feet while the live storage on Sunday was 0.202 MAF.