The water crisis has shattered a 22-year record in the country, as the provinces face a 50 percent water shortfall and reservoirs have a 97 percent water shortage.
The Indus River System Authority (IRSA) has reported that 56 percent less water is entering the rivers as a result of low temperatures in the northern regions. IRSA information also reveals that Tarbela Dam has been dry for the last one and a half months and that there is almost no water in Mangla Dam.
According to the IRSA paper, the overall flow of water in the rivers is 125,000 cusecs, while the entire flow of water in the same rivers was 284,000 cusecs last year.
The water storage in the dams is now 100,000 acre-feet while it was 3.5 million acre-feet last year.
The water scarcity has also reduced the supply to the provinces by half. Currently, about 60,000 cusecs of water is being provided to Punjab and Sindh against the demand of 120,000, and 130,000 cusecs, respectively.
Balochistan is provided with 15,000 cusecs of water, whereas Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is supplied with only 3,000 cusecs of water.
The Chenab and Jhelum rivers suffer the most from water stress. Due to a lack of water in the Jhelum River, the Mangla Dam will be unable to fill even half. It is believed that the Mangla Dam would have a severe water shortage even throughout the winter.
The report maintained that unusually high temperatures in the northern areas during the winter and a delayed start to summer lead to reduced glacial melt.
Last year, the temperature in the northern regions was 31 degrees Celsius in June, while it is now only 21 degrees Celsius. The IRSA described the current water situation as worrisome.
