The Indo River System Authority has warned Punjab and Sindh, the main handles of the country of the country, which are prepared until water shortage up to 35 % for the remaining period of current Rabi crops, including the basic wheat harvest.
The warning occurs in the midst of reports that the two largest dams in the country, Tarbela and Mangla are just days after reaching a dead level. There is the probability that Punjab and Sindh can face a 30-35 percent deficit while operating the two deposits in the river mode in or around the levels, the water regulator told the provinces. This is in line with the IRSA prognosis on October 2 that the storage of the dam would reach the dead level towards the end of the winter culture cycle.
Although alarming, the warning is not a surprise since the scarcity of growing water for summer and winter crops has become the “new normality” in recent years due to the growing number of dry days in a year, as well as the reduced glaciers that result from climate change. Reduced precipitation is evident from 40pc below winter rains and snowfall between September and mid -January of this year, which have created conditions similar to drought throughout the country.
The dry conditions still persist in many areas despite the February rains that have largely compensated the risks related to drought for the new wheat harvest. The dry climate in most days has meant that the winter goals office reported that it was hotter than usual.
The growing frequency and intensity of extreme climatic events, such as floods, droughts, heat waves and abnormal rains, show that we are already experiencing conditions of change after climate. Classification As we do among the 10 main countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, we must urgently prepare for the expensive and disastrous impacts of such events in our lives, livelihoods, food security and economy.
The need to satisfy the climate challenge is even greater when a country like Pakistan is prone to multiple disastrous events at the same time. For example, in 2022, we were first beaten by a heat wave and drought and then sudden floods that displaced 33 million people, followed by landslides that destroyed the infrastructure in KP and other regions of the north. Tens of thousands of those affected have not yet been resettled and re-employed.
Unfortunately, our policy formulators are not investing enough to help people and the economy to resist the effects of climate change, although the danger is very visible. Climate disasters can severely stretch a country’s resources. They can ruin countries without preparation for them. This year we may have avoided any significant damage to our basic food despite the shortage of water and drought. But who can guarantee that we will be so lucky next year?
Posted in Dawn, March 10, 2025
