As the water inflow in the Punjab river has decreased and Indus River System Authority (Irsa)has cut outflow from the Mangla dam on the river Jhelum to the level of 10,000 cusecs, the national water regulatory body has increased discharges in the canals emanating from Jinnah, Chashma and Taunsa barrages on the mighty Indus River to the tune of 45,000 cusecs to provide critically needed irrigation water to south Punjab for sowing and growing its Kharif cash crops including cotton, rice, sugarcane, maize, vegetables, fodder for livestock and fruit orchards etc.

Punjab canal regulators told Business Recorder on Tuesday that the province was getting about 95,000 cusecs water from Mangla and Indus zones. It was drawing 41,000 cusecs run of the river water of Chenab, 10000 cusecs from Mangla dam to meet irrigation water needs of central and western Punjab.

Irsa is putting in 8,000 cusecs water in greater Thal canal, 10,000 cusecs in Chashma - Jhelum canal, 12,000 cusecs in Taunsa-Punjnad link canal and 16,000 cusecs in Muzaffargarh and D G Khan canals.

Meanwhile, the pre-monsoon flood warning centre has started functioning in Lahore. In its first report it said that the river Kabul at Nowshera is in low Flood level & all the other major rivers are flowing in their state of normal flow.

In its weather forecast for today (Wednesday) the Met Office said that mainly hot and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country. However, isolated rain-thundershower is expected in Malakand, Hazara, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, D I Khan, Bannu division, Islamabad, Fata, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2018