Punjab protests to Irsa on losses due to water mismanagement

[Naveed Yaseen]

Khalid Mustafa
Punjab has strongly protested to the Indus River System Authority (Irsa), holding it responsible for playing havoc with cotton growing area of the province by not releasing water.

In its letter faxed to the water regulator on Monday, a copy of which is available with ‘The News,’ the Punjab Irrigation Department came down heavily on Irsa for breaching the understanding, reached with the province on September 14 over water adjustments.

The violation of the understanding by the regulator has led to water stress on Trimmu because of which the province sustained huge loss to its cotton growing area.

The standing cotton crop under the command area of the Trimmu barrage could not get the crucial and last watering owing to which its 15 per cent less cotton produce, the country will have. “This is irreparable loss for the province.”

When tried to make contact with Bashir Dahir, the Chairman of the Indus River System Authority, his cell phone was powered off.

Punjab, in its letter, narrates that the whole understanding that was reached between the province and Irsa on September 14, according to which water releases were to reduce from Mangla to 39,000 cusecs of water from 48,000 cusecs. But the water regulator reduced the water releases to 43,500 cusecs.

Under the understanding, the water releases were to reduce on Chashma -Jhelum canal to 13,000 cusecs from 18,000 cusecs, but Irsa reduced the outflows in CJ canal to 10,000 cusecs instead of 13,000 cusecs on September 16. Here is the area wherein Punjab suffered a lot. But the Irsa increased the downstream Chashma releases to 28,000 cusecs instead of releasing 25,000 as agreed with the province.

Meanwhile, the Irsa technical committee held a meeting to assess the water availability during the coming Rabi season, and most of the stakeholders develop consensus on 35 to 40 per cent water shortage Irsa has preliminary worked out, an official who was part of the meeting told The News.

He said that Irsa’s chief engineer Aurangzeb Khatak presided over the meeting which was attended by representatives of the four federating units. Chief Engineer Hydrology Mohammad Irshad also participated in the meeting.

Aurangzeb Khatak said that keeping in view the water availability worked out in terms of probabilities by the technical committee would later be finalized in terms of million acre feet by Irsa.

“The water availability to be worked out in terms of million acre feet to be submitted in the Irsa Advisory Committee for review that is to meet on September 27.”

He said that Balochistan and NWFP agreed to water availability figures worked out by Irsa.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=137621