Irsa slashes provinces’ water share by 5%

The water crisis in the country has prompted Indus River System Authority (IRSA) to slash provinces’ share in water resources by five percent, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Tuesday.

According to IRSA officials, Sindh is now being supplied 125,000 cusecs of water, instead of 149,000 cusecs.

Similarly, they added, Punjab’s share had dropped from 125,000 cusecs of water to 106,000 cusecs.

The IRSA officials further said that if the water crisis persisted, the shortfall could increase to 10 percent within a few days.

The IRSA had first rung alarm bells ringing over the deteriorating water crisis on May 20.

Irsa, in its statement, had warned that the shortfall of water in the country was becoming acute as water scarcity had reached in the region between 25% to 30%.

Irsa has intimated the provinces regarding the water deficit.

It said this time around Punjab and Sindh were facing 18% water scarcity. The situation on glaciers due to low temperatures can pose a serious threat.

The water regulatory authority has cautioned the provinces to make sagacious use of water till the situation becomes normal. 

The outflow from Tarbela and Mangla dams was more than the inflow in the dams.

Irsa also informed that Sindh’s water supply had been increased by 8,000 cusecs from Mangla Dam.

Irsa said the next 48 hours are very critical — if the low temperatures in catchment areas keep the same pattern, then we would be in trouble.

Later, the Authority, on May 28, had called an emergency meeting of all the concerned departments in the wake of acute water deficit believed to be touching a shortfall of 35%.

Then the sources had said the meeting was likely to cut down the water share of two provinces, namely Punjab and Sindh by around 23%.