Pakistan Water and Power Updates.

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Pakistan’s energy crisis appears to have improved after the power shortfall dropped to 3,000 MW.
As per the details, the country’s power demand is 27,000 MW while the supply has gone up to 24,000 MW, which makes the shortfall 3,000 MW.

Additionally, there was a drop in load shedding across rural and urban feeders.

In May, the power demand had been 28,200 MW and the supply was only 21,200 MW. This had resulted in a shortfall of 7,000 MW and the country had to undergo long hours of load shedding.

 

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Flood alert as Tarbela Dam spillway to open​

PDMA asks district administrations to take precautionary steps for locals around Indus River

APP
July 26, 2022

WAPDA delivers 4.7b units of cheap electricity to national grid.

The disaster management authorities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) have issued an alert to take precautionary measures regarding flooding before opening the spillway of Tarbela Dam to flush out surplus water and create space for fresh inflow.

A notification issued by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) warned that the dam's spillway gates would be lifted in the next 24 hours owing to increased water levels, which could cause lower-level flood in the Indus River.

It asked the district administrations in Swabi, Haripur and Nowshera to adopt precautionary measures for the safety of life and property.

The current water inflow in Tarbela Dam was recorded at 243,000 cusecs while the outflow was 136,800, adding that the water level at the dam had surged to 1,511 feet.

The authority also asked people residing alongside the banks of the Indus River to stay vigilant and observe water’s flow in the river, advising them to relocate their animals and essential household items to safer places in case of a water surge.

“In case of any emergency or any untoward incident, people should contact PDMA helpline number 1700 or Rescue 1122,” the notification concluded.

Meanwhile, the PDMA has also constituted an Emergency Flood Control Room in DC Office Haripur to monitor the flood situation round the clock. In addition, all the line departments have been directed to remain on high alert to tackle any emergency situation.

Further, the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) released 300,999 cusecs of water from various rim stations with an inflow of 300,999 cases.

According to the data released by IRSA, the water level in the Jhelum River at Mangla Dam was 1,138.10 feet, which was 88.01 feet higher than its dead level of 1,050 feet whereas the inflow and outflow of water was recorded a 35,094 and 10,000 cusecs, respectively.

The release of water at Kalabagh, Taunsa and Sukkur was recorded at 150,257, 150,257 and 179,498 cusecs, respectively.

Similarly, from the Kabul River, a total of 66,000 cusecs of water was released at Nowshera and 84,999 from the Chenab River at Marala.

 

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Pakistan’s electricity generation cost

Pakistan’s electricity generation cost has jumped up to 160pc during the last year, which has made the government incapable of providing subsidies to the power consumers.

The power sector of Pakistan has been badly incapacitated by the grave issues of circular debt, which is reflected in the continuous electricity tariff hikes and skyrocketing fuel price adjustments. Not only the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has approved an Rs13/unit tariff hike for the high-end consumers at the request of the Ministry of Energy, but the “flat slab rates” mechanism also has been implemented, burdening the low electricity consumers substantially, stated the experts in the meeting of Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) here.

 

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https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=595824055473208

 

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Flood alert issued for Punjab​

PDMA warns of another spell of heavy rains in province from 27th


Correspondent
July 27, 2022

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LAHORE: As the spell of “abnormal” monsoon rains continues to lash the country, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Tuesday issued a low-medium flood alert for the Chenab river, asking all concerned districts to stay on high alert and take precautionary measures to protect the populations in the adjacent districts.

Amid surging water levels in the rivers, the authority said that according to the report of the flood forecasting station, there was a possibility of a low-medium flood.

Citing the report, the PDMA said the water discharge in the river was recorded at 15,4890 cusecs which, it warned, may cause flooding in the areas of Hafizabad district. It advised that the adjacent districts should also complete their preparations and set up relief camps.

“According to the directives of the Punjab government, the protection of life and property of the people is the first priority,” the notification said.

Separately, the PDMA warned, quoting the Met office, that monsoon winds entering the upper and central regions of the country from July 27 and spreading to other regions on July 31, may result in another week of rains.

During this period, Rawalpindi, Murree, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Sialkot, Narowal, Lahore, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Jhang, Mianwali, Khushab, Sargodha, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Sahiwal, Okara, Bhakkar, Multan, Khanewal, Pakpattan, Vehari, Rajanpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Rahim Yar Khan and Khanpur are likely to receive more rain with strong winds and thundershowers.

The authority cautioned that these winds may generate heavy rains and there was a risk of inundation of low-lying areas in Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Lahore and Gujranwala, besides flooding in the hills and rivers of Dera Ghazi Khan from July 27 to July 31.

Meanwhile, the heavy rain is expected to increase the flow of water in the local and rainwater channels of the Ravi, Jhelum and Chenab rivers.

It also warned of the risk of landslides in Murree, advising tourists to plan travel while keeping in mind the weather conditions.

“An alert has been issued to the district administrations of Punjab to keep their arrangements in place and be prepared to deal with the emergency situation,” the notification said.

According to a spokesperson of Wapda, the inflow at Mangla dam was 35,100 cusecs while the outflow was 10,000 cusecs. Similarly, the inflow of water at Tarbela and Chashma was also increasing.

A day earlier, Wapda had requested the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) to allow it to carry out sedimentation removal operation at Chashma reservoir. Wapda’s chief engineer and project director Gohar Zaman Bhabha said: “It is informed by Irsa that due to filling constraint at Tarbela Dam surplus water flows are expected at Chashma Barrage in due course of time. Monsoon rain spell is continuing at present in large parts of the country and expected to continue for some time”.

 

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Tarbela Dam Spillways..

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Punjab on high alert as India releases floodwater into Ravi​

Districts including Narowal, Lahore, Sheikhupura and Okara could be affected, says PDMA


Asif Mehmood
August 15, 2022

Environmental and social issues emerged due to river diversion from Muzaffarabad after the commissioning of Neelum-Jhelum hydropower project in 2018. PHOTO: file

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LAHORE: India on Monday released floodwater into River Ravi, almost two weeks after it discharged 225,000 cusecs water in River Chenab.

The Pakistan Indus Water Commission informed the relevant department that India opened the spillways of Ujh barrage after which 170,000 cusecs of water will enter Pakistan from India.

According to officials, Pakistan Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has issued an alert to the relevant departments.

The Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) said that the water released by India in the Ravi River is expected to reach Jassar by midnight.

According to the FFD, there is a possibility of medium to high level flood in Ravi River and the possible flooding may affect other districts including Narowal, Lahore, Sheikhupura and Okara.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority of Punjab (PDMA) has also issued a flood warning in the Ravi River.

High flow in Ravi may cause flooding in rivers of Gujranwala, Lahore and Multan Divisions and water level may rise in rivers connected to Ravi which may cause flooding in the nearby areas, said the PDMA.

It also asked the district administration to remain cautious and keep machinery and other equipment in a state of readiness in view of emergency situation.

Meanwhile, 21 people who drowned in the flash floods of Taunsa have been rescued.

 

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Tarbela Dam filled to maximum level of 1550 feet.

5.827 MAF water available in Dam; good omen for agriculture, hydel generation

August 20, 2022: The mega water reservoir of Tarbela has been filled to its maximum level of 1550 feet above mean sea level, resulting in 5.827 million acre feet (MAF) of water in the Dam, which is a good omen for agriculture and hydel power generation in Pakistan in the days to come.

Tarbela Dam is considered to be an iconic project for the contribution it has been making towards development of Pakistan since 1974 by releasing the stored water for agriculture, mitigating floods and providing low-cost hydel electricity to the National Grid.

Tarbela Reservoir has a live water storage capacity of 5.826 MAF. Bedsides, Tarbela is the biggest electricity generation facility in Pakistan with installed capacity of 4888 megawatt (MW), which will further increase to 6418 MW after completion of Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project.

 

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Power generation goes down​

BR

By choice or otherwise, Pakistan’s national grid power generation was down 10 percent year-on-year in July 2022. Less than 14 billion units for July, which has historically been the peak demand month, is the lowest July generation since July 2018. Even July 2020 during peak Covid had higher generation numbers.

You could put it down to reduced temperatures, as monsoon came early, but continued load shedding across the length and breadth of the country suggests, the system was managed to make up for shortage of fuel. July was the second month running that year-on-year power generation went down, taking the 12-month moving average growth to 8 percent. It was hovering around 11 percent for the past six months.

There are signs of economic slowdown emerging, looking at high frequency statistics of the last two months. Industrial activity also seems to be slowing down, some of it forcibly to manage the country’s balance of payment. It is quite a setback considering that the government pinned its hopes on increasing the grid generation by 50 percent, and in the process bring down the power generation cost to Rs12/unit. There was no way it was going to be achieved ever, but things have actually turned for the worse. Not only have the demand and the capacity to generate at optimal efficiency dwindled, the affordability part of the equation has also gone haywire.

RLNG generation continues to be far from optimal, given how tight the spot market has been. August and September promise to be worse in terms of RLNG availability, as Pakistan authorities have been unable to attract successful bids for spot cargoes. Coal, on the other hand, is not as scarce, but only 13 percent share in total generation from coal shows, there were not that many dollars available to ensure timely coal imports.

On the brighter side, hydel generation seems to be getting back towards normalcy, with the share going up to 35 percent. Nuclear generation has also picked up – and in a rare event, had a higher share in generation at 14 percent, than that of coal.

The fuel charges adjustment sought for July 2022 stands at Rs4.7/unit, as the generation cost of Rs10.98/unit beats the revised reference fuel cost of Rs6.29/unit. Mind you, reference fuel costs have once again been revised upwards, and July reference fuel cost is 19 percent higher year-on-year. With base tariffs already up, August and September electricity bills will have significantly higher effective tariffs, given extremely high FCA.

Fuel adjustments stayed record high in FY22 and should cool down in FY23. But that will not necessarily mean lower effective tariff, as much of that has been incorporated into revised base tariffs. The base tariff is all set to go up for next two months as well, and high FCA will just make matters worse.

 

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https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=447800050716093

 

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Indus in high flood at Kotri​

PPI

JAMSHORO: Indus River is in high flood at Kotri Barrage following which pressure on embankments has risen, according to a report on Saturday.

The water in the river has dropped to low level at Guddu, Sukkur and other barrages in upstream as the high flood stream has reached at Kotri Barrage.

The Indus River has been in high flood at Kotri Barrage with water inflow has further surged to 6,26,000 cusecs and outflow in the downstream has been 6,00,000 cusecs. Four off-taking canals from Kotri Barrage are carrying 20,000 cusecs of water. The river water is exerting pressure at Kotri Barrage and protective dykes from Dadu to Thatta and Sujawal, irrigation sources said.

Several union councils and urban areas of Jamshoro and Kotri have been submerged under the river water. Floodwater has entered in homes and residents are facing hardships.

The water level in the river at Guddu Barrage has further dropped in last 24 hours to inflow 1,65,200 cusecs and outflow of water 1,58,500 cusecs.

The water level has dropped at Sukkur Barrage and inflow and outflow of water in the river has been 1,85,000 cusecs.

Indus River water inflow at Tarbela has been 1,57,000 cusecs, while outflow has been 1,55,300 cusecs. The water inflow in river at Kalabagh has been 1,53,200 cusecs and discharge measured 1,45,200 cusecs.

The water inflow in Indus at Chashma has been 2,13,500 cusecs and discharge measured 1,95,500 cusecs. The water inflow in river at Taunsa Barrage has been 1,81,200 cusecs, while outflow has been 1,64,200 cusecs, according to the water record.

Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej rivers are flowing below the low flood level, the Flood Forecasting Division said.

 

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New peak of high flood hits Kotri Barrage​

Mohammad Hussain Khan
September 11, 2022

PEOPLE migrating from their flooded villages in Jamshsoro district arrive in Sehwan to take shelter in relief camps.—INP
HYDERABAD: Kotri Barrage remained in ‘high flood’ with an inflow of 626,053 cusecs and downstream discharge of 600,018 cusecs, according to the Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) discharge report of 6am Saturday (Sept 10).

Kotri Barrage chief engineer Haji Khan Jamali has attributed this increase in upstream discharge at this barrage to the flows coming to Indus River from Manchhar Lake and breach in the Main Nara Valley Drain dykes.

The barrage had been steady at 604,087 cusecs up and 583,882 cusecs downstream discharge at 6pm on Sept 9 after dropping only by ‘12 cusecs’, if its flow of 604,099 cusecs at 6pm on Sept 8 was anything to go by as per official figures.

The official believed that by tonight or Sunday morning, the barrage would start showing a downward trend in its flows. He said that falling trend at Qazi Ahmed-Amri bridge and Dadu Moro-bridge gauges would soon be observed. The Dadu-Moro bridge gauge, which was showing the water level as 130.4 feet, showed the level as 129 feet on Saturday.

Inflow of 626,053 cusecs attributed to addition of deluges from Manchhar, MVND

Meanwhile, Wapda officials have not attempted to plug the breach at RD-10 of the MNVD (or Right Bank Outfall Drain-I). According to Wapda’s chief engineer (water) Sukkur Naeem Qadir Mangi, heavy machinery could not be moved to the location given the inundation in the area. “The machinery can stuck up there,” he said.

Manchhar level still rising

Inflows in Manchhar Lake have become a guessing game for top irrigation officials as the lake is again consistently showing a rising trend despite many cuts already given to Indus embankment, the main Nara Velley Drain (MVND) and the lake’s dykes at various places to ease pressure of floodwater.

Three cuts have been applied on Indus embankment since Sept 8, two on the lake’s dyke and a breach occurred in the dyke of the Main Nara Valley Drain (MNVD) to offload the lake’s water into the Indus.

The lake’s water is normally released through its canals -- Aral head, Aral tail and Danister -- but given the mounting pressure of heavy flows on the lake, two cuts were applied on its dykes. The lake is getting depleted into the river through these nine sources, yet its level is showing a rising trend.

Machhar Lake had recorded the level of 123.3RL on Sept 5 after maintaining it for a considerably long period. It started showing a decline in its level after two ‘intentional cuts’ given on its bank at RD-14 on Sept 5 and RD-52 on Sept 6 when a breach also occurred in Main Nara Valley Drain (MNVD) at RD-10. Manchhar would have burst its banks had these cuts not been given.

After the lake attained a level of 123.3RL, it first dropped to 123.25RL and then 123.2RL and 123RL on Sept 6. Since then it was recording a fall which irrigation officials were attributing to the outflows passing through the two cuts on Sept 5 and 6 and MNVD breach.

With further reduction, the level dropped to 122.3RL at 12noon and 122.2RL at 6pm on Sept 7. Flows level remained steady at 122.2RL until it slightly rose to 122.35RL on Sept 9 at 6pm and 122.5RL at 6am on Sept 10. Its 6pm gauge showed the level at 122.65RL again.

Officials believed that lake was still receiving flows from its catchment area or upper Sindh and these flows were causing a rise in its level. The above-mentioned cuts left a marginal impact on its level but it once again increased substantially.

These flows from lakes continued to mount pressure on 10 union councils of Sehwan taluka — Bubak, Wahur, Jaffarabad, Channa, Arazi, Sheikh, Bhanbha, Talti, Jhangara and Bajara – much of whose population had already moved out. Indus Highway’s section right up to Sehwan toll plaza had been submerged.

Irrigation officials were, however, not considering more cuts on Indus embankments. Three cuts have already been given in Larkana-Sehwan bund within the Sehwan taluka since Sept 8. The third cut was given at a location beyond a bridge over Indus Link near Karampur area to make sure that the deluge threatening Bhan Syedabad town of Jamshoro district and Dadu city could be controlled.

These cuts were applied after Indus flows showed substantial reductions Sukkur Barrage downstream.

Both Guddu and Sukkur barrages have been categorised as ‘barrages with normal flows’ after passage of peaks of high flood which helped officials to take the decision of diverting the lake water into river through man-made cuts.

Sukkur Barrage was on Saturday having an upstream flow of 185,010 cusecs up and downstream while Guddu Barrage was having 165,161 cusecs up and 158,537 cusecs downstream discharge, showing a normal state of flows.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2022

 

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Digital Flood Dashboard launched to give public confidence in government activities​

• It makes public all information regarding donations received and distributed, as well as delivery of relief goods to flood victims

BR
September 12, 2022

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Monday launched the Digital Flood Dashboard to give details on relief activities being undertaken in the flood-affected areas of Pakistan to the public as well as international institutions and development partners.

Speaking at a meeting of the National Flood Response Coordination Center (NFRCC), he said that the service will enable people to check details by area, as well as what support is available to flood affected areas.

The dashboard will make public all information regarding donation received, distributed and delivery of relief goods to the flood victims.

It was launched on the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and uses modern technology to inform the public about relief supplies and donations.

“People will gain confidence in government activities through this portal,” he said. “It will give information to users in a transparent manner.”

He appreciated efforts made by provincial and federal governments as well as the military for taking part in relief efforts with enthusiasm.

“The scale of this disaster is far higher than capabilities of any government of the world,” he said. “We fought such disasters in 2010 and 2012 and we will emerge stronger and more resilient from this one.”

He announced that the government will ask top global firms to audit financial assistance received for floods affectees.

He also noted that the government was unable to give an accurate estimate of losses suffered during the floods until all the water is drained.

“A huge part of Sindh and Balochistan is submerged in water,” he said. “We are updating our estimates of losses each day while working alongside UN, World Bank and Asian Development Bank.”

Floods from a record monsoon and glacial melt in the north of Pakistan have impacted 33 million people and killed at least 1,391, while washing away homes, roads, railways, livestock and crops.

Pakistan estimates the cost of the damage at $30 billion, and both the government and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres have blamed the flooding, extreme weather and resulting devastation on climate change.

 

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Flood situation.