October 1, 2018 (MLN): Indus River System Authority (IRSA) has predicted that rainfall during the upcoming winter season will be below normal.
At a recent advisory committee meeting of IRSA attended by Official of WAPDA and DG as well as secretaries belonging to all four provinces, IRSA has projected up to 38% shortage of water in cropping season of Rabi 2018-19, starting from October 1, 2018
As the meeting unfolded it was estimated that water availability currently stands at 5.89 million acre feet (MAF) while the system losses of water are at 1.73 MAF.
It was further predicted the months of October and November will not witness any rainfall, and the northern areas will receive a shower during late December and early January.
At a prior committee meeting, it was approximated that during the current Kharif season, Punjab faced 20% shortage, Sindh 17%, Baluchistan 44%, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 33% while te total water shortage for Kharif crops was 21pc.
According to Sindh, it has suffered losses of 31% in agriculture, due to water scarcity in the province. A former Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah emphasized that there is a need to address certain issues that were essential in the context of water scarcity in Pakistan.
