Officials said the gradual increase in river flow had improved water availability in major reservoirs.
ISLAMABAD:
Water levels in major rivers and reservoirs continued to improve on Wednesday as rising temperatures in northern mountainous regions accelerated the melting of glaciers, while authorities expressed optimism that expected monsoon rains would further boost flows and strengthen water storage across the country.
Officials said gradual increase in river flow had improved water availability in major reservoirs, with the combined live storage in Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma reaching 3.403 million acre-feet. They added that water levels were expected to continue rising in the coming weeks as monsoon rains gained momentum.
According to the Indus River System Authority (Irsa), 375,800 cusecs of water flowed into the river system on Wednesday, while 300,700 cusecs were released from various riverine stations. At Tarbela Dam, the water level stood at 1,453.07 feet, or 51.07 feet above the dead level of 1,402 feet, with a live storage of 1.111 million acre-feet. The inflow of water into the reservoir was recorded at 226,500 cusecs, while the outflow was 150,300 cusecs.
At Mangla Dam, the water level reached 1,162.85 feet, 112.85 feet above its dead level of 1,050 feet. The reservoir contained 2.243 million acre-feet of live storage, while inflows and outflows were recorded at 37,600 cusecs and 38,700 cusecs, respectively.
In Chashma reservoir, the water level was 641.30 feet, with a live storage of 49,000 acre-feet. Chashma Barrage recorded an inflow of 205,000 cusecs and an outflow of 203,000 cusecs, reflecting improved flows through the Indus system.
Elsewhere, water inflow into Chenab river at Head Marala was recorded at 63,700 cusecs, while 36,900 cusecs were released downstream. In Nowshera, both the inflows and outflows of the Kabul River amounted to 48,000 cusecs.
Irsa data also showed water releases of 200,800 cusecs in Kalabagh, 163,200 cusecs in Taunsa, 101,100 cusecs in Guddu and 41,200 cusecs in Sukkur.
