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ISLAMABAD, Oct 07 (APP):Indus River System Authority (IRSA) Advisory Committee (IAC) on Tuesday approved over all water shortage of 8 per cent for Rabi season 2025 which is lowest in the last 10 years of system operation and significantly less than post-IRSA shortage of 18 per cent.
The IAC which met here with Chairman IRSA Sahibzada Muhammad Shabir in the Chair finalized anticipated water availability for Rabi season 2025-26.
The IAC unanimously approved the anticipated Rim-Station inflows of 22.016 million acre of feet (MAF). The anticipated provincial withdrawals were allocated as 33.814 MAF which were considerably more than 10-year average and last year figures of 28.870 MAF and 29.427 MAF, respectively.
The share of proposed allocation for Punjab stood at 18.207 MAF against last year 15.561 MAF, Sindh 13.734 MAF against 12.154 MAF, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (CRBC) 0.701 MAF against 0.668 MAF and Balochistan 1.171 MAF against 1.044 MAF for the Rabi 2025-26.
The IAC reviewed Kharif 2025 season and noted with satisfaction that the actual inflows of 122.364 Million Acre Feet (MAF) were higher than anticipations by 18%, 10-year average by 19% and last year inflows by 14%.
The provinces utilised 62.394 MAF against IAC allocations, provincial indents and IRSA releases of 68.505 MAF, 78.427 MAF and 99.292 MAF, respectively.
The less utilisation by the provinces was due to a very wet Kharif season with widespread Monsoon rainfalls and floods in the Western and especially in the Eastern Rivers.
As a result, IRSA effectively managed to get almost all the reservoirs filled to maximum capacity. Hence, the total storage available on 30.09.2025 was 13.214 MAF, i.e., 99% of maximum storage capacity.
The meeting was attended, inert alia, by IRSA Members, Chief Engineering Advisor (CEA), MoWR; Members of WAPDA’s Water & Power Wings; Secretaries Provincial Irrigation Departments (PIDs) of Punjab and Sindh and other Senior Officers from PIDs & WAPDA.