Pakistan’s water regulator has approved a 15 percent water shortfall for the first half of the Kharif 2026 crop season, even as reservoir storage levels reached a six-year high, officials said.
The decision was made by the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) Advisory Committee during a meeting chaired by Amjad Saeed. Under the approved framework, early Kharif from April to June 10 will face a 15 percent shortfall, which will be reviewed in the first week of May. The shortfall for late Kharif has been set at 5 percent.
Total provincial water allocations for Kharif 2026 have been fixed at 67.451 million acre feet (MAF), up from 60.558 MAF last year. Punjab will receive 33.357 MAF, Sindh 30.403 MAF, Balochistan 2.868 MAF, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 0.823 MAF.
Despite the projected shortage, Pakistan enters the crop season with stronger reserves, with system storage at 2.307 MAF on March 31, compared with 0.384 MAF in the same period last year.
The committee also highlighted sedimentation at Tarbela Dam, noting the reservoir has lost around 48 percent of its live storage capacity, now at 5.580 MAF.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department forecasts normal to above-normal rainfall from April to June, though above-average temperatures may accelerate snowmelt and evaporation, potentially affecting water availability.
