ISLAMABAD – A technical committee of the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) will finalise the water availability estimate and irrigation plan for the upcoming Kharif season here on March 25. An official source said that the IRSA’s secretary would chair the meeting which will be attended by provincial directors regulation of the irrigation departments. The committee would finalise water probabilities based on historic flows and rainfall. It would also seek proposals for water-sharing among the provinces and finalise the distribution plan. The 6-month- long Kharif season starts from April 1 and important cash crops including cotton and sugarcane and food crops like rice are planted during the season.
The recommendations of the technical committee would be presented for approval of the Advisory Committee that is likely to meet under the chairmanship of chairman IRSA on March 31, the source said. The meeting would also take up the issue of discrepancies in water data between Besham and Tarbela dam. IRSA has already sought details from WAPDA authorities; the source said adding that last year there was a significant decline in water flows between Besham and Tarbela.
