ISLAMABAD: The overall water shortage in the country has reached the figure of 25-32 per cent drastically reducing hydropower generation amid prevailing electricity crisis, The News has learnt.

In the information gathering process, the power regulatory body came up with contention of 32 per cent existing water shortage whereas the water regulator estimates it less than 25 per cent.

“There is a shortage of 32 per cent causing drastic cut of 500-700 Megawatt in hydropower generation as compared to corresponding last year,” what the Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) official spokesman Tahir Basharat Cheema told The News here Tuesday.

The Indus River System Authority (Irsa) Chairman Bashir Dahir said the water shortage was near to 25 per cent with a clear strategy of the Authority to ensure irrigation water to the federating units for Kharif sowing on priority basis.

“The Irsa talks about irrigation water but we need discharges with speedy outflows to generate maximum electricity,” the Pepco official said in response to Irsa’s claim on water shortage.

The Pepco personnel elaborated that the Tarbela dam level is almost 60 feet lower than the previous year whereas the Mangla dam is 90 feet behind the level it had in the month of May last year. “So this caused drastic reduction in hydropower generation ranging between 500 and 700 MW.”

The Irsa chairman however admitted that the existing water storage at the existing dams was far lower than the previous year. “We are trying to enhance storage as the level as Mangla dam is almost 70 feet up against dead level.” The Pepco official said that the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), having operational command of the dams, was releasing almost 60 thousand cusecs per day from Tarbela in April-May the previous year, whereas now the outflow stands at 41,000 cusecs daily.

“All this, the reduction in dams level and cut in outflows, have marred the electricity generation causing trouble for the Pepco in power provision to the people at large,” Cheema further said.

Pakistan’s total hydropower generation capacity stands at 6,500 MW at the peak season when the water flows are in accordance with required quantum. “We are presently suffering 2,000 MW shortfall, in average, in the current summer season,” he added.

According to the Irsa’s water chart, the country’s largest water reservoir, Tarbela dam, stands at its dead level. Its exact current level is 1,369.63 feet with dangerous point (dead level) of 1,369 feet as its discharge is 47,000 cusecs with inflow of 51,000 cusecs daily. Likewise, the Mangla dam is present at 1,089.10 feet against its dead level of 1040 feet. So the Mangla had almost 49 feet water above the minimum level.

The Irsa chairman claimed that the Authority was trying to adopt the best option in view of achieving two objectives simultaneously, first to provide irrigation water for Kharif crops sowing and secondly to increase storage level at the dams.

“Yes we accept the Pepco’s view point that the higher level of water at the dams significantly helps enhance power generation due to speedy discharge, but we, being the water regulator have also to care for the irrigation requirements on priority basis, Bashir Dahir said.