The Indus River System Authority (Irsa) has stopped further water releases from the Tarbela dam on river Indus and is only putting run of the River Indus water in the canal irrigation system across the country, Punjab Irrigation Engineers told Business Recorder here on Tuesday. 
They said that the water regulatory body has reduced water flow in the mighty Indus downstream the Tarbela dam from 85,000 cusecs to 65,000 cusecs to preserve maximum water for sowing, maturing and harvesting the Rabi crops 2013-14. Presently, 5.2 MAF water is available in the reservoir for releases till March 31, 2014. However they said that 45,000 cusecs water is being discharged downstream the upgraded Mangla dam against the flow of 13,430 cusecs in the river Jhelum to irrigate crops in the central and south Punjab. According to rivers flows and reservoirs level report of Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) of October 8, the Sindh Irrigation department has stopped water releases in the Indus delta downstream the Kotri barrage as water inflow in the barrage has decreased to 21,880 cusecs which is being put into the canals taking off from the head-works in the lower Sindh,.The report said that 69,600 cusecs water is flowing in the river Indus at Tarbela, 15,800 cusecs in the river Kabul, 13,400 cusecs in the river Jhelum and 22,400 cusecs in the river Chenab.
FORECAST FOR TODAY: Mainly dry weather is expected over most parts of the country. However, isolated thundershower is likely to occur over Mirpur Khas, Hyderabad, Karachi, Kalat, Lahore, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Hazara divisions, Islamabad and Kashmir.
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