Panjab Canal Breach; Pakistan Dams Reach Dead Level

A 100-foot-wide breach in Panjab’s Abohar-Malukpura canal, reported on 30 May night, widened rapidly to nearly 200 feet, sparking fresh outrage among farmers just as paddy transplantation was set to begin. The distributary originates from the Sirhind feeder canal and supplies water to nearly 20 villages in the region. The canal had been shut for a fortnight for cleaning and was reopened on 29 May. Farmers are questioning the efficiency and intent of the canal cleaning operations. 'The cleaning work was doubtful. Why wasn’t the structural strength checked before releasing water?' asked Resham Singh, a local farmer. 'Mud has entered our fields due to the breach, and now we have to clean it before starting transplantation. Our saplings are not even ready, so how are we benefitting from this?' On the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), staring at a huge water crisis, Pakistan has written four letters requesting India to reconsider its decision to keep the IWT in abeyance. Pakistan's Ministry of Water Resources Secretary Syed Ali Murtaza wrote to India’s Jal Shakti (water resources) Ministry. India has made it clear the treaty will remain in abeyance until Islamabad 'credibly and irrevocably' ends its support for cross-border terrorism. Official data shows that Pakistan released 15% less water from its dams this week when compared to the same period last year. On 5 Jun, water release in Pakistan’s Panjab fell to 124K cusecs from 144K cusecs in 2024. The Indus River at Tarbela Dam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is at 1,465 meters, close to its dead level of 1,402 meters. At Chasma Dam in Panjab, also on the Indus, the water level is 644 meters, just above its dead level of 638 meters. Mangla Dam on the Jhelum River in Mirpur is at 1,163 meters, slightly above its dead level of 1,050 meters. The dead level is the lowest level where outlets can drain the water into reservoirs by gravity. Below the dead level, water pumps have to be used to drain the water (earlier coverage).