IRSA facing 22% water shortage for Rabi season
By Hina Kiyani

ISLAMABAD—The Indus River System Authority’s advisory committee predicted 22 percent water shortage during the current Rabi season 2007-08.
This was decided in the meeting of the Indus River System Authority’s advisory committee held here in the IRSA Headquarter on Monday. Chairman IRSA, Bashir Ahmad Dahar, chaired the meeting.
Muhammad Amin, Member IRSA Balochistan, Aman Gul Khattak, Member IRSA NWFP, Shafqat Masood, Member IRSA Punjab, Shvja Ahmed Junejo, Member IRSA Sindh/Secretary I&P Sindh, M.H Siddiqi, Consultant I&P Punjab, I.B Sheikh, CEA/Chairman Flood Commission, Mahkumdin Qadir, Secretary Agriculture Sindh, Muhammad Sidiq, G. M (P&D) WAPDA, Abdul Qadeer Khan, G. M (NPCC) WAPDA, Aurnagzeb Khattak, Chief Engineer Opr IRSA, Mushtaq Ahmad, Director WRMD, WAPDA and Engr. Qazi Talat Mahmood AEA, o/o CEA/FFC were also present on the occasion.
The meeting reviewed the water availability plan and its distribution among provinces during the current Rabi season.
Based on the Technical Committee recommendations, the Water Availability for Rabi 2007-08 would be anticipated as 28.64 MAF. Therefore, IRSA anticipated a shortfall of 22 percent in the country, which would be faced by Punjab and Sindh.
Provinces have been asked to inform IRSA about their water requirements within three days and their reports would be reviewed on monthly basis.
IRSA hopes that Provinces would extend their co-operation to cope with the shortages and would involve in micro-management to have the maximum crop output for the country.
It is further said that during the Rabi season Punjab will get 15.3 MAF, Sindh 11.61, Balochistan 1.02 MAF and NWFP 0.70 MAF while ten percent water go waste in the River.
Similarly, they said that presently there is 5.6 MAF water available at Tarbella Dam while 3.92 MAF in Mangla Dam. Sources also revealed that Sindh Province has demanded distribution of water under the 1991 Water Apportionment Accord.