A mega water project for Karachi city K-IV, which was planned keeping in view the future need of water in the metropolis, has been approved by the Sindh government and its PC-I is under process while treatment plant for industrial and domestic waste to save the Arabian Sea from pollution would also be installed in the city, besides the work on the installation of 35MW power plant at Dhabeji pumping station by the end of June, The Nation has learnt on Tuesday. Karachi city is receiving 650MGD water currently and K-IV comprising 150MGD water would be the latest addition.

It was a satisfactory year for Tamil Nadu in realisation of the Cauvery water at the Mettur reservoir for water year 2007-08 (June 1 to May 31). During the year, the State received 346 thousand million cubic (TMC) feet of water as against 205 tmcft prescribed by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in its interim order in 1991, an excess of 141 tmcft. In the previous irrigation year ie 2006-07, the State received 235.93 tmcft.

The Mettur Reservoir will open on the scheduled date of June 12 for kuruvai cultivation in the delta districts. With the storage in the reservoir at 64.931 thousand million cubic (tmc) feet, the State will have no problem in opening the dam for irrigation. The current storage is sufficient to meet the irrigation demand for one-and-a-half months. To start with, about 5000 cusecs will be released which will gradually be increased to 15,000 cusecs over a fortnight. Last year, the dam was opened on July 18 as the storage was not comfortable.

Per capita water availability in Pakistan reduced to an alarming figure of 1070 cubic meter in 2007 while the country has lost the storage capacity equivalent to 5.13 MAF due to silting in the reservoirs of Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma.

The delay in commissioning of the Kandula Obula Reddy Gundlakamma project has irked people of Prakasam district as they were hoping to get irrigation and potable water from the reservoir. It was one of the three irrigation projects started in Prakasam district under Jalayagnam and was constructed by spending Rs 453.86 crore. It is slated to give irrigation water to 80,060 acres of land.

The falling water level in reservoirs indicates the impending power crisis and uncomfortable summer for people in Punjab . The decade's lowest water levels in the Bhakra-Beas Management Board (BBMB)-managed Bhakra, Pong and Ranjit Sagar Dam reservoirs this time have caused concern among the state's power circles resulting in considerable loss of power generation in all BBMB-managed projects. This has also led to the dwindling of BBMB's share in Punjab's power kitty from the usual 175 lakh to 200 lakh units to an estimated 105 lakh units this time.

State government has given adm-inistrative sanction for taking up modernisation works of the Tungabhadra high level main canal (HLC). A notification issuing work orders has reached the HLC superintending engineer (SE) office recently. The superintendent engineer, Mr Somireddy, has written to the contracting agencies to complete agreement signing by May 15. The HLC modernisation works will commence in January 2009 immediately after water supply from the Tungabhadra dam is stopped.

Domestic water supply in the city has been increased by three million litres daily (mld) for a week now to meet the rising demand in the summer months. According to a Chennai Metrowater official, the water supplied to domestic consumers through pipeline and tankers has been increased to 586 mld to match the rising demand. The total volume of water supplied to the city, including industrial and bulk purposes, has been increased from 645 mld to 650 mld.