LAHORE:
After weeks of dry, dusty weather, a spell of rain and snowfall predicted by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has swept over several parts of the country, bringing much-needed relief by lowering pollution, freshening the air and replenishing water supplies to standing crops at a critical stage.
The wet spell, driven by western disturbances typical of the winter season, not only broke a prolonged dry spell but also revived agricultural prospects, especially for rain-fed regions that had been struggling with moisture shortages.
Winter rains (November–February), often driven by western disturbances, increase river flows across Pakistan, particularly affecting the upper catchments of the Indus, Kabul and Swat rivers.
These, along with early annual rains, can cause high flows in early season rivers, sometimes affecting crops such as wheat.
Although the rain caused disruption in some low-lying areas, it was widely welcomed by farmers, especially in barani (rain-fed) regions, where the showers arrived just in time to revive the gram crop.
With the country facing water shortages and the wheat crop entering a critical growth phase, the spell could hardly have come at a more opportune time.
While agricultural planners see clear positive signs for wheat, they remain cautious about quantifying the full impact at this stage. However, they are confident that the gram crop, now in the sensitive flowering stage and in urgent need of moisture, will largely escape the effects of the drought.
Rainfed areas will gain the most as the improved soil moisture is also expected to help farmers prepare for groundnut sowing in mid-March.
Meanwhile, water inflows and outflows across major rivers and reservoirs remained stable on Friday, with the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) and Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) reporting balanced discharge levels at key hydropower and irrigation points.
According to a WAPDA spokesperson, at Tarbela, river Indus recorded an inflow of 17,000 cusecs and a corresponding outflow of 17,000 cusecs. At Mangla, river Jhelum had an inflow of 11,100 cusecs while the outflow stood at 6,100 cusecs.
At Chashma Barrage, the inflow was recorded at 18,900 cusecs, while the outflow was significantly higher at 30,000 cusecs.
Meanwhile, at Head Marala, river Chenab showed an inflow of 8,100 cusecs and an outflow of 4,100 cusecs. At Nowshera, river Kabul recorded both inflow and outflow at 12,700 cusec.
The spokesman said the Tarbela Reservoir was at a water level of 1,492.00 feet, with a live storage of 2,747 million acre-feet (MAF). At Mangla, the water level stood at 1,203.20 feet, with a storage of 4,459 MAF. At Chashma, the reservoir level was 648.00 feet, with a storage of 0.258 MAF.
The combined usable water storage in Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma was reported at 7.464 million acre-feet.
WAPDA said inflow and outflow figures for Tarbela and Chashma on the Indus, Nowshera on the Kabul and Mangla on the Jhelum represent 24-hour average flows, while the data for Head Marala and elsewhere reflect measurements taken at 6 on Fridays.
