Acute water shortage expected from next week in Sindh

Water level in Kotri Barrage to drop to 1,000 cusecs

HYDERABAD: The Kotri Barrage on River Indus, whose canals supply water to Karachi, Hyderabad and four other districts of Sindh, will face an acute water shortage from next week. Water level is expected to drop to 1,000 cusecs – the lowest since 2005.

Sindh Chamber of Commerce (SCA) raised alarm about this impending shortage at its meeting on Sunday at its Hyderabad office. "The dangerous shortage will make availability of irrigation and drinking water difficult," the SCA warned in a statement.

The chamber requested the government to update the people on a daily basis through the print and electronic media about the shortfall and to urge all to stop waste or unnecessary use of water. The SCA also asked the provincial government to approach the federal government to demand a greater share of water for the lower riparian province.



The farmers were also advised against cultivating water intensive crops during the ongoing situation. The meeting was chaired by SCA's president Dr Syed Nadeem Qamar, who also heads the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Karachi. The farmers' representatives from Karachi, Sanghar, Sukkur and Ghotki attended the event through video link.

Kotri Barrage is the last barrage on River Indus in Sindh before the river ends in the Arabian Sea. Its four canals are an irrigation and drinking water source for Karachi, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Thatta, Tando Muhammad Khan and Badin districts.