The country will brace 8 to 10 hours loadshedding from Monday as the hydro-power generation will sharply fall with the month-long closure of canals across the country, power sector sources told Business Recorder here on Sunday.

According to Punjab irrigation engineers, the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) has cut down water discharges off Tarbela dam on River Indus from 35,000 cusecs to 24,000 cusecs, and it curtailed water outflow from Mangla dam, on River Jhelum, from 30,000 cusecs to 10,000 cusecs, to keep some canals running.

Sources said that hydel power generation units of Tarbela, Mangla and Ghazi-Barotha contribute nearly 6,000 mw electricity during regular water outflows from the dams. However, the hydel power is likely to drop to 1,500 mw during closure of canals, starting from Monday, Dec 26.

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department forecast dry and cold weather with frost after midnight till morning on Monday.

In its daily forecast, the Met Office said that mainly dry and cold weather is expected over most parts of the country with mist and frost after midnight till morning in plain areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhawah, Upper Punjab, Quetta and Kalat divisions and mist in the morning in lower Punjab, Sukkur and Larkana divisions.

It said that there would be little change in the dry and cold weather during the next two days. The lowest minimum temperature in Pakistan --10.5 degrees C--was recorded at Skardu, whereas lowest minimum temperature in Punjab--1.5 C--was recorded at Islamabad.