Wheat sowing over 85 percent area completed in Punjab

Wheat sowing over 14 million acres has been completed in Punjab which is 85 percent of the targeted 16 million acres to produce 19 million tons of wheat during 2013-14 Rabi season, Director General Agriculture Extension Services Dr Anjum Ali told Business Recorder here on Wednesday.
He said the wheat sowing has been going on according to schedule in the province that produces 80 percent of the total staple food of the nation. Director General Pakistan Meteorological Department Dr Arif Mahmood told this scribe that mainly dry and cold weather is expected in plains of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and KPK till 16th December 2013. He advised farmers of irrigated plains of Punjab, Sindh & Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to complete sowing of wheat crop before 15th December to get maximum yield. In case of late sowing in December, the recommended varieties should be cultivated to minimise the expected loss in yield.
Dr Mahmood said wheat sowing is in progress in most of the irrigated areas. Farmers of irrigated areas should irrigate the crop as per requirement due to dry weather prevailing in most of the irrigated agricultural plains of the country. Normally first irrigation is given after 20-25 days after sowing.
Meanwhile, the Indus River System Authority is releasing 1,06,400 cusecs water from the reservoirs and run of the river water for power generation and crop irrigation. 50,000 cusecs water is being released from the Tarbela dam, 40,000 cusecs from Mangla Dam, 8,700 cusecs from river Kabul and River Chanab 7,700 cusecs.

News Source: Business Recorder News Collected: agrinfobank.com Team

Irsa stops further water releases from Tarbela Dam

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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Tarbela Dam: Irsa releases more water to maintain river flow

July 06, 2013

The Indus River System Authority on Friday released 22,000 cusecs more water from Tarbela Dam to maintain the current flow in Indus River downstream Jinnah Barrage upto Kotri Barrage in lower Sindh following drop in the running water in Indus and River Kabul during the past five days.
Punjab Irrigation engineers told Business Recorder that 245,000 cusecs water was flowing in River Indus and 89,000 cusecs in River Kabul on 1st July, which dropped to 160,000 cusecs and 48,000 cusecs respectively on Friday. They said that Irsa was releasing 240,000 cusecs in the Indus Zone from Jinnah Barrage to Kotri Barrage for sowing, growing and maturing the Kharif crops. As the water flow in the four live rivers had been decreasing since beginning of the current month, the water regulatory body had increased water discharges downstream the Tarbela Dam to meet irrigation water needs of the four provinces, they added.
According to 5th July report of Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), 161,200 cusecs water is running in River Indus at Tarbela, 48,200 cusecs water in River Kabul at Nowshera, 37,400 cusecs in River Jhelum at Mangla and 61,700 cusecs water in River Chenab at Marala headworks. In Sindh province, 186,100 cusecs water is flowing into Guddu Barrage, 120,000 cusecs water in Sukkur Barrage and 45,024 cusecs water in Kotri Barrage. 8,194 cusecs water is being released into the Indus delta from the Kotri Barrage.
WEATHER FORECAST: A well marked seasonal low lies over North Balochistan and adjoining areas with its trough extending North-eastwards. Monsoon currents are reaching into eastern & upper parts of the country. Weather forecast for today: Mainly hot and humid weather is expected in most parts of the country. However, rain dust-thunderstorm associated with gusty winds is expected at isolated places of Kashmir, Malakand, Hazara, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sukkur, Kalat divisions and lower Sindh.
Rainfall past 24 hrs (mm): Mirpurkhas 22; Mithi 10; Chhor, Mangla 08, Lahore (AP) 05; Kotli 02; Jhelum Rawalakot, Hyderabad 01 mm. Hottest places past 24 hrs: Dalbandin 47°C; Sibi 46°C; Bhakkar, Jaccobabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, Larkana & Sukkur 45°C.

Source: http://www.brecorder.com