The sowing of Kharif, or monsoonal, crops in Pakistan is taking a hit because of a drop in water from the Indus River System being released from India following the suspension of the water-sharing treaty, a report by Islamabad has indicated.
The latest “Daily Water Situation” Report released by the Pakistan government’s Indus River System Authority (IRSA) shows the total water released from the Indus River System to Pakistan’s Sindh province on June 16 this year was 1.33 lakh cusecs against 1.6 lakh on the same day last year – a drop of 16.87%.
The water released from the Indus River System to the Punjab province is also slightly less on the same date this year – 1.26 lakh cusecs against 1.29 lakh last year, which represents a 2.25% reduction.
The report indicates that there is less water left in the rivers and reservoirs connected to the Indus River System in Pakistan at a time when the sowing of Kharif crops is on. This is causing problems for farmers in the country and, with the monsoon in the country still at least two weeks away, the crisis is only expected to deepen.
