Fears of a looming water crisis have intensified across Pakistan as key rivers in Punjab are witnessing dangerously low water levels, raising serious concerns over the future of agriculture in the region.

Dry conditions have begun to severely impact major rivers across Punjab. The Ravi River near Lahore is rapidly drying up, while water levels at Head Marala in Sialkot have also dropped significantly. Similarly, the Jhelum River is experiencing a noticeable reduction in flow.

According to the latest data, the Indus River has an inflow of 27,600 cusecs, with an outflow of 25,000 cusecs. The Jhelum River shows an inflow of 30,300 cusecs, while outflow is only 17,000 cusecs. At Chashma Barrage, the inflow is 29,800 cusecs and outflow is 32,000 cusecs. The Chenab River has an inflow of 14,000 cusecs and outflow of 9,000 cusecs, and the Kabul River is seeing equal inflow and outflow of 22,700 cusecs.

Reservoir levels are also a cause for concern. The Tarbela Reservoir currently holds 90,000 acre-feet of water, while the Mangla Reservoir is at 1094.50 feet with a storage of 292,000 acre-feet. The Chashma Reservoir has a water level of 641.60 feet, with a storage of 55,000 acre-feet.

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The total usable water stored across Tarbela, Mangla, and Chashma reservoirs is only 437,000 acre-feet, which is far below the requirement for the upcoming crop season.

Water flow data is being monitored in 24-hour averages at Tarbela and Chashma (for the Indus River), Nowshera (for the Kabul River), and Mangla (for the Jhelum River).

Agricultural experts and environmentalists warn that if the situation persists, the impact on Pakistan’s agriculture-dependent economy could be severe, potentially triggering food shortages and economic instability.