Islamabad:
On Wednesday, the Unding River System Authority (IRSA) projected Wednesday 43% of water shortage for April, because it recorded less than normal in the rivers of the rim station, following a snowfall of 31% less in the industrial and Jhelum watershed areas this winter.
The IRSA Consultative Committee (IAC) met Wednesday to discuss the water availability situation for the Kharif 2025 season. However, due to culminating and unclear parameters and weather prospects for the summer, it approved the availability of water for the month of April only, with 43% the deficit of the system.
The IAC meeting took place, with the president and member of the IRSA, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Sahibzada Muhammad Shabir in the chair. According to a document published after the meeting, the IAC would meet again in the first week of May 2025 to examine the availability of water.
The meeting had to approve the planned criteria for the availability of water for the whole season of Kharif (April 1 to September 30). He also examined the operations of the RABI 2024-25 system (October 1-March 31) and showed satisfaction with the end of the season at 18% against a planned shortage of 16%.
The meeting was followed by all the members of the IRSA, concerned engineers, concerned secretaries, senior officials of the departments of provincial irrigation, main technical advisers of the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) and others.
During the meeting, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) stressed that, according to local and global climate models for the months of April, May and June, below normal precipitation and more normal temperatures, especially in the ends of the north and southern country.
The PMD also noted that winter snowfall in the Industry watersheds and Jhelum were recorded at 26.8 inches against normal 49.7 inch, 31% less while the entries in the rivers of the rim station would also be less than normal.
After a detailed discussion, IAC only approved water availability for the month of April 2025 with a 43%system deficit, the document said. The water situation will be examined again during the first week of May 2025, he added.
In addition, the PMD chief meteorologist Muhammad Afzal said that the country was facing an unusual weather model, leading to serious drought conditions, warning that alarming drop in winter precipitation has pushed dams and water tanks at dead levels.
Speaking at a press conference, AFZAL said that winter precipitation was 42% below normal, the Sindh receiving 63% less rain, Balutchistan 53% and Punjab 41%. He added that the drop in water levels in dams and other tanks aroused concerns about the availability of water for agriculture and domestic use.
AFZAL warned that precipitation lower than normal were expected in the northern regions, exacerbating the water crisis. The shortage could lead to crop failures, propagation of diseases and a negative impact on wildlife. He urged the public to use wisdom to mitigate the crisis.
“Pakistan is expected to face significant temperature increases in the coming months, forecasts indicating that temperatures may increase by 3 to 5 degrees Celsius above normal levels. This will increase the probability of heat waves, especially in the southern half of the country,” he said. (With application entries)
