Irsa increases flows to Sindh after crop damage

• Chashma outflows raised after protests may take days to reach lower areas of Sindh
• Experts question water storage while canals faced shortages

HYDERABAD: The Indus River System Authority (Irsa) has increased releases downstream of Chashma Barrage to meet Sindh’s water requirements, but not before substantial damage had already been inflicted on the sowing of summer crops across the province.

Improved releases of 200,000 cusecs were made downstream of Chashma on June 13 and 14. However, it is estimated that the additional water would take five days to reach Guddu Barrage and another seven days, meaning 10 to 12 days, to reach Kotri Barrage, where shortages are most acute.

Sindh’s indent is supplied at Chashma Barrage despite repeated demands that it should be released at Guddu Barrage to minimise transit losses

According to updated flow data, the 200,000-cusec increased flows include Sindh’s indented supply of 160,000 cusecs sought on June 11, The remaining flow covers the water allocated for Taunsa barrage and Balochistan.

Persistent water shortages have triggered strong protests in Sindh. The Sindh chief minister sought the prime minister’s intervention to “defer the filling of dams” to meet the province’s water needs, irrigation minister Jam Khan Shoro questioned Irsa, and PPP lawmakers raised the issue during the budget session in parliament.

The collective pressure from farmers’ bodies, political parties, parliamentarians and the Sindh government appears to have contributed to Irsa’s decision to increase releases over the last couple of days that it was apparently holding at Chashma.

Irsa was increasing pond level at Chashma barrage since early June while Sindh was desperately seeking water to feed its perennial and non-perennial canals. This was evident from water flows observed at Chashma and Sindh’s barrages in last few days. Chashma barrage also serves as storage facility for Irsa.

Irrigation officials and experts noted that on June 4, when Sindh sought 130,000 cusecs, Chashma released 138,000 cusecs downstream including share of Taunsa and Balochistan. Still, the barrage’s pond level rose from 643.5 feet on June 4 to 647.6 feet by June 7 when Sindh’s canals needed flows for kharif sowing. The maximum pond level at Chashma is 649 feet.

“Enhanced pond levels indicated that water was being stored at Chashma at a time when Sindh urgently needed it for sowing,” said an expert.

He noted that the 138,000-cusec release also included allocations for Punjab’s canals through Taunsa Barrage and Balochistan’s Kachhi Canal.

“If all these requirements, including Sindh’s share, were to be met, then around 165,000 cusecs should have been released from Chashma,” he said.

After strong protests, Irsa began reducing Chashma’s pond level after June 8 with a marginal drop (647.6ft on June 7 to 647.4ft on June 8 and 643.9ft on June 14). Outflows increased from 150,000 cusecs to 178,000 cusecs for Sindh on June 10, 180,000 cusecs on June 11 and 12, and finally 200,000 cusecs on June 13.

However, the benefits will not be immediate because of the travel time between barrages. According to one assessment, the 200,000-cusec release of June 13 will reach Guddu on around June 18 or 19. “The percentage shortage at Kotri will see a drop only sometime later,” said an irrigation source.

“Guddu [barrage] will receive increased flow on June 15-16 which was actually released from Chashma on June 10 (178,000 cusecs). Likewise, flows increased after June 10 will reach Guddu and Kotri [barrages] accordingly.”

Flows into controversial Chashma-Jhelum and Taunsa-Panjnad link canals continued as the two respectively withdrew 16,500 cusecs and 12,000 cusecs of water somewhat more than Kotri had on Saturday i.e., 11,275 cusecs against its accord-based requirement of 32,500 cusecs, thus recording 65pc shortage. The shortfall stood at 35pc at Sukkur Barrage, 46pc at Guddu and 65pc at Kotri against their requirements.

Damage done, losses imminent

Nadeem Shah, a grower, had transplanted paddy’s hybrid seed last year by this time. “This year nursery is dying,” he said from Sujawal, an area fed by Kotri barrage’s Old Phuleli canal which experienced 61pc shortage on June 14. “Hybrid variety, if not transplanted in 40 days, loses vigour and yields compromised.”

His upper Sindh counterpart, Ishaq Mughairi, noted that “we have not prepared nurseries because our distributaries don’t have water”. His area was fed by Sukkur barrage’s North Western Canal which was bearing 46pc reduction in flows on June 14, only second after the barrage’s Dadu canal that was reporting 68pc shortage till June 14.

Sindh Chamber of Agriculture Senior Vice Chairman Nabi Bux Sathio pointed out that had the province’s parliamentarians called the National Assembly session in a timely manner to raise the issue or the Sindh CM written letter to the premier much earlier, the situation might have been different. He was referring to CM’s June 11 letter addressed to PM on the worsening water situation in Sindh.

He explained that local paddy varieties C-9 and Irri-6 were early sowing varieties and needed to be sown in nurseries in early June. “Since farmers didn’t get adequate price for hybrid seed varieties that can be grown as late as June they were reluctant to grow it this year. Now, they will again have to go for these varieties that can be grown as late as June,” he said.

Meanwhile, Irsa has written to Wapda’s member concerned, urging immediate steps to fulfil its indents through the operation of Tarbela’s Tunnel-4 low-level outlet.

According to sources, Irsa informed Wapda that despite successful testing of the outlet in May, releases from Tarbela remained below indented requirements between June 10 and June 14. Irsa warned that failure to meet these requirements could aggravate shortages in the provinces at a critical stage of the kharif season.

Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2026