Pakistan’s three largest reservoirs, Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma, have come close to filling up. Has also been vowed.
Rao Irshad, a member of the Indus River System Authority (IRSA), said that due to the non-filling of the three dams last year, the carry-over reserves in the dams were only 6 million acre-feet when the Rabi season started on October 1, 2019. Due to which the canal water shortage was estimated to be 49% in Rabi, but this year the carryover will be more than 11 MAF. As a result, the shortage can be reduced to 20%.
It is learned that the water collected from filling Tarbela Dam on September 1, 2020, is 6 MAF, at Mangla the level is 1240 feet at 7.35 MAF while in Chashma Barrage Lake it is 270,000-acre feet (zero point 27 MAF). With total reserves will be 13.62 MAF. After providing 2 MAF for the needs of the provinces till September 30, 11.62 MAF will start on October 1, which will be left for Rabi.
Member Irsa Irshad Rao told Dunya News that the dam with a storage capacity of 6 million acre-feet in Tarbela will be fully filled on August 28, while the Mangla Dam is 3 feet below its maximum level of 1242 feet to be fully filled. 130,000 cusecs of water is required and at present 10,000 cusecs are being stored daily.
Rabia Sultan, a farmer leader, said that it costs Rs 1,500 to irrigate an acre of land through tube wells using diesel fuel from the land. Direct Rs 8.40 billion will be saved.
Farmer leader Farooq Ahmad Bajwa says that 5.6 million acre-feet of water will benefit Pakistan’s economy to the tune of Rs 924 billion as compared to last year.
Extracted from City42 News
