IRSA Approves Water Availability Only For April With 43pc System Shortfall

Faizan Hashmi Published March 26, 2025 | 06:20 PM

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Mar, 2025) The Indus River System Authority Advisory Committee (ICA) on Wednesday approved the water availability only for the month of April ’25 with 43 percent system shortfall.

The Committee which met with IRSA Chairman Sahibzada Muhammad Shabir in the Chair to approve the Kharif 2025 Anticipated Water Availability Criteria from April 1st, 2025 to September 30th, also decided that the water situation would again be reviewed in 1st

It also duly accounted the unclear climatical parameters and keeping in view the summer 2025 Weather Outlook presented by Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD)

The ICA met

The meeting was participated by all IRSA Members, representaives of Chief Engineering Advisor, MoWR; Secretaries PIDs of Punjab and Sindh; Senior Officials of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa & Balochistan Irrigation Deptt:, Senior Technical Advisors of WAPDA; Senior representatives of Tarbela and Mangla Dams, T4 and T5 HPPs; senior representatives of Provincial Agriculture Departments and Director (Opr) / Secretary IRSA, along with senior technical personnel of IRSA, said a press release.

IAC reviewed the Rabi 2024-25 (Oct-Mar) system operation and showed satisfaction over the overall seasonal close at 18 percent shortages till March 20th, 2025 against the anticipated shortages of 16 percent.

PMD highlighted that below normal rain and above normal temperatures especially across Northern and Southern tips of the country were forecasted by local and global climate models for the months of April, May and June (AMJ). PMD informed that winter snowfall in the catchments of Indus and Jhelum was recorded as 26.8 inches against the normal of 49.7 inches, i.e., 31 percent less and inflows into the Rim-Station rivers would also be less than normal.