ISLAMABAD: Tarbela Dam — the country’s second largest reservoir — attained its full conservation capacity on Monday as total live storage crossed 11 million acre feet (MAF), just 15pc behind 13.35MAF maximum capacity.

“Tarbela Dam reached its maximum conservation level of 1,550 feet above mean sea level today, resulting in 5.766 million acre feet useable water in the reservoir,” Water and Power Development Authority announced.

Wapda said the filling of dam was a good sign for irrigated agriculture and generation of green, clean and affordable hydel electricity in the country.

On the other hand, Mangla Dam, the largest water reservoir in the country, stood about 30 feet short of its maximum storage.

Wapda reported its conservation level at about 1,214 feet. As of Monday, Mangla Dam was filled to a maximum elevation of 1,242 feet.

As such, useable water at Tarbela stood at about 5.18MAF on Monday against its maximum storage of about 7.3MAF.

Since April 1, about 6.5MAF water has flowed into the Arabian Sea — more than total storage of Tarbela dam. Under the 1991 water apportionment accord, the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) — the water regulator and Wapda are required to ensure at least 8MAF flows downstream Kotri Barrage for environmental reasons.

The Irsa on Monday reported total river flows of 417,000 cusecs at rim stations of which about 380,400-cusec water was released into the irrigation system, leaving behind about 47,000 cusec for conservation, mostly in Mangla and Tarbela dams.

The Indus was reportedly flowing at 256,400 cusecs at Tarbela dam against its total outflows of 235,000 cusecs.

The Kabul River at Nowshera was reportedly flowing at 66,400 cusecs, while the River Jhelum flows were registered at 25,800 cusecs at Mangla dam against its 10,000-cusec outflows.

At Marala headworks, the Chenab River was flowing at 62,700 cusecs.

Meanwhile, the federal flood commission reported medium flood in the River Indus in Taunsa-Sukkur reach and in low flood in Tarbela-Chashma reach. Also, the Kabul was in low flood at Nowshera.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2024