ISLAMABAD: The Indus River System Authority (IRSA) has decided in consultation with the provinces to close the canals for annual maintenance and desilting during the Rabi season 2017-18 to be started from December 26 till January 30.
The annual canal closure programme will reduce the output of hydropower units of Tarbela and Mangla by more than 2,000 MW, resulting in increased load shedding in winter across the country.
Official sources informed Pakistan Today that according to the annual canal closure plan, the canals would remain closed from Dec 26 to Jan 30, 2018, for maintenance and desilting. They said that the Mangla command canals would be closed from Dec 26 till Jan 30, and Tarbela command canals would remain closed from Dec 31, 2017, to Jan 30, 2018. As stated by the water discharge plan, the authority will release 10,000 to 12,000 cusecs of water from Tarbela Dam and 8,000 cusecs from Mangla Dam to meet the requirements of drinking water.
Under the canal closure programme, Punjab’s lower Jhelum, Rasul Qadirabad Link, Upper Chenab canal will remain closed from Dec 26 to Jan 12, while Qadirabad Baloki Link, Jhang Branch, central Bari Doab canals from Dec 27 to Jan 13 and Lower Bari Doab, Baloki, Sulemanki Link from Dec 29 to Jan 15. Also, Upper Pakpattan canal and Eastern Siddiqia canal will remain closed from Dec 30 to Jan 16. Meanwhile, Upper Jehlum canal from Jan 12 to Jan 29 and Lower Chenab Canal, Upper Bahwal canal from Jan 13 to Jan 30. Similarly, Jhang Branch canal will remain closed from Dec 27, 2017, to Jan 13, 2018, while Upper Bahawal will remain closed from Jan 13, 2018, to Jan 30, 2018.
Likewise, Tarbela command canals will remain closed during Rabi season 2017/18. As per programme, Thal and Lower Bahawal canals will be closed from Jan 13, until Jan 30, while Trimmu canal and Trimmu-Sidhnai link will remain closed from Jan 10 to Jan 27, while Sidhnai-Mailsi-Bahawal (SMB) Link canal and Sidhnai canal from Jan 11 to Jan 28, Lower Pakpattan canal from Jan 12 to Jan 29, and Lower Bahawal from Jan 13 to Jan 30.
Thal canal will be closed from Jan 13 to Jan 30 and the Punjnad canal will be closed from Jan 5 to Jan 22 and Taunsa canals from Dec 31 to Jan 17. Sindh’s Kotri barrage will remain closed from Dec 26 to Jan 11 and Sukkur barrage from Jan 6 to Jan 24.
During this period, canals in Balochistan will remain closed, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Chashma Right Bank canal will stay closed from Jan 1 to Jan 31.
According to the sources, the Punjab Irrigation Department had communicated to the water regulator for the reduction of outflows from Mangla Dam beginning from Dec 26. As a consequence, the discharges from Mangla and Tarbela will be reduced, they added.
A copy of Punjab Irrigation Department further confirmed the schedule of the closure of canals during Rabi season 2017/18 to be started in the province from Dec 26 to Jan 30, 2018. Punjab’s Superintendent Engineers and Executive Engineers (Open Canals) has been advised to notify the closure dates in the Gazette for information of the public.
In like manner, the Sindh Irrigation Department communicated with the chief engineer to issue a notification for Sukkur Barrage canals’ closure programme of 2017-18. So, the department notified that the Sukkur Barrage canals will remain closed from Jan 6, 2018, to Jan 20, 2018. Moreover, an Executive Engineer of Kotri Barrage notified for the annual closure of Kotri Barrage and headworks for the year 2017-18.
The notification further states that the gates of barrage will be raised gradually from 12:00 AM between Dec 25 and Dec 26, 2017, and will be lowered again from 12:00 AM between Jan 10 and Jan 11, 2018. For this period of this of time, there will be no flow of water in any off-taking canal, i.e. Akram Wah (lined channel), Old Fuleli (Pinyari), New Fuleli, Kalri Baghar Feeder.
Kotri Barrage’s notification informed the Zamindars and all other concerned people that the canals will remain closed with effect from Dec 22, 2017, to Jan 10, 2018, for normal inspection, maintenance.
