According to Irsa, it is currently distributing water at 18pc shortages because of national storages. Photo by Mohammad Asim/File
LAHORE: As temperatures drop in catchment areas, national water shortages have risen close to 30 per cent, against earlier calculations of 10pc, and the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) says that next 48 hours are crucial.
According to Irsa, it was currently distributing water at 18pc shortages because of national storages, which have around one million acre feet and are supporting current distribution. However, next two days are very critical if temperatures keep the current pattern, “we would be in trouble.”
Punjab, however, wrote a stinging letter to Irsa on Wednesday, berating it for “risking Mangla dam filling” for its current distribution preferences. “Punjab demands in the strongest possible words that Irsa adjusts kharif allocations judiciously to meet with the demands of provinces in accordance with the available inflows at