Tarbela Dam may reach dead level on May 25

Due to low summer inflows, Tarbela Dam on the Indus River may strike rock bottom next week, aggravating the water deficit in the plains.

Due to insufficient Indus River flows, Tarbela Dam may reach a dead level by May 25, 2022. Such an occurrence would reduce downstream flows and drinking water supplies, harming standing crops.

This year, on March 20, 2022, water storage in the Tarbela Dam dropped to its minimal level, resulting in decreased irrigation supplies and load-shedding.

The current decline in river flows promises doom for agriculture, which is already suffering from a heatwave that is stressing plants abiotically.

According to WAPDA, river inflows and outflows at Tarbela, Mangla, and Chashma, along with reservoir levels and barrages on May 22, 2022, were as follows: Indus inflow at Tarbela, 82,800 cusecs and outflow, 95,000 cusecs; Kabul inflow at Nowshera, 28,700 cusecs and outflow, 28,700 cusecs; Jhelum inflow at Mangla, 36,100 cusecs and

Jinnah inflow 107,100 cusecs and outflow 99,600 cusecs, Chashma 120,600 cusecs and 115,000 cusecs, Taunsa 113,200 cusecs and 89,100 cusecs, Panjnad 11,600 cusecs and outflow Nil cusecs, Guddu 66,900 cusecs and 62,300 cusecs, Sukkur 44,400 cusecs and outflow 16,500 cusecs

Reservoirs (Level and Storage): Tarbela’s minimum operating level is 1,392 feet, its current level is 1400 feet, and its maximum conservation level is 1,550 feet. On Sunday, 0.059 million acre-feet (MAF) of water were still in the reservoir. Mangla has a minimum operating level of 1,050 feet, a current level of 1,085 feet, and a maximum storage level of 1,242 feet. On Sunday, there was 0.185 MAF of live storage.