IRSA releases full provincial water quota as river inflows surge

ISLAMABAD: The Indus River System Authority (IRSA) has begun releasing full irrigation supplies to all four provinces following a sharp increase in river inflows, effectively ending water shortages that had plagued the early Kharif season.

With temperatures rising in Skardu—currently at 26.7°C—melting snow has triggered a surge in water flow, allowing IRSA to meet the complete daily demand of provinces: 84,100 cusecs for Punjab, 60,000 cusecs for Sindh, 2,000 cusecs for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 1,000 cusecs for Balochistan.

IRSA spokesperson Khalid Idrees Rana confirmed the development, saying, “Since May 3, IRSA has been providing the indented water supplies to all provinces. Additionally, 2.111 million acre-feet (MAF) of water has already been stored in major reservoirs.”

The water situation will be formally reviewed on Monday during a meeting of the IRSA Advisory Committee, which will finalize the anticipated water availability and provincial quotas for the rest of the Kharif season (April 1–June 30). Attendees will include top officials from Wapda and irrigation and agriculture departments of all four provinces.

Earlier in the season, IRSA had only released water for drinking purposes due to an alarming 43% shortage. This forced a delay in sowing by provinces that rely on early April irrigation.

Since then, the shortage has fallen significantly, with projections now showing a deficit of under 20%. Reservoir levels have also improved markedly, with storage at Mangla and Tarbela reaching 1.762 MAF—up from near zero at the start of April.

The expected dip in inflows during mid-May and June is being factored into IRSA’s reservoir management strategy, ensuring continued irrigation coverage for critical crop cycles.