Sindh must prepare for 800,000 cusecs of floodwater, warns IRSA member

Ehsan Leghari, Sindh's member at the Indus River System Authority (IRSA), has cautioned that the province should prepare for flood flows of up to 800,000 cusecs in the coming days.

In his analysis shared on Facebook, Leghari said that the peak flows of the Chenab and Ravi rivers will converge at Panjnad around the same time or with a few hours’ difference, reaching their maximum flow of 650,000 to 700,000 cusecs by September 2.

"The Sutlej’s peak flow from Ganda Sawala will reach Panjnad a day later, on September 3," he said, adding that after traveling from Panjnad to Guddu, around 500,000 to 550,000 cusecs of water will reach Guddu by September 4.

"As mentioned earlier, Guddu receives water from two sources: downstream of Taunsa and downstream of Panjnad. If rainfall occurs in the Sulaiman range, additional water from hill torrents will flow through these to Guddu," Leghari explained.

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"Currently (August 28), the flow downstream of Taunsa is around 250,000 cusecs, while over 330,000 cusecs are flowing at Guddu. In the coming days, the Indus’s own flows are expected to remain between 300,000 and 350,000 cusecs."

He said that when the Panjnad water arriving on September 4 is added, the total flow at Guddu will reach approximately 750,000 cusecs, adding that since the Chenab’s flows have already decreased at Marala, this peak of 700,000 to 750,000 cusecs may last for one or two days.

"Therefore, Sindh must prepare for a high or very high flood. If the water volume is slightly less, that’s fortunate. To reiterate, whether the water reaches 600,000 or 700,000 cusecs, preparations should be made for 800,000 cusecs," he cautioned.