LAHORE, Jan 30: The current winter rainfall might end water shortage during the rest of Rabi season and enable the country to start next Kharif with water in its reservoirs, claim water experts from Punjab.

The wet spell, they say, has already benefited the country in three important ways. Firstly, it has provided crucial and timely second watering to wheat crop and now crop is safe by all means till the end of February when it would require third and last watering.

Secondly, it would allow the country's water managers to store water till end-February, thus filling both dams for the last irrigation of wheat. Finally, there has been a heavy snowfall on the mountains after a very long time. As mercury rises in March, it would quickly melt and provide additional water to the country's reservoirs.

Pakistan, says an official of the Punjab Water Council, has been facing a technical water shortage of 48 per cent. Technical means what the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) had calculated on dam data.

But, practically shortage was in the range of mid-sixties because dry river and canal beds suck further 15 to 20 per cent of water during distribution. The current spell of rain has removed that anomaly for the time being. It soaked river and canal beds to remove that additional water loss.

The Irsa, meeting in the first week of February to recalculate water situation, may find the total shortage coming down to below 30 per cent if the whole Rabi season is taken into account. But, there may not be any water shortage for the rest of the Rabi season. Even if it remains there, it would certainly not be substantial enough to hurt wheat crop, he maintains. A Punjab Irrigation Department official opines that one month breathing space provided by rains is as important as provision of timely water to wheat crop.

Both the dams, already above projections of the Irsa, are still rising. During the next 25 days, some water will have to be released for power generation which otherwise could have stored to bring country entirely out of water shortage.

The rain, by all means, was a gift of the nature. But, one must not forget how badly Pakistani nation has mishandled its water storage capacity. Every season, the entire farming community takes to the mosques and prays for rain.

For the last few years, the mother nature has been kind enough to send timely rains. But, it should be taken as an alternative to human planning for which the God created the Homo Sapiens.

Pakistan could hardly store 11 per cent of its total water, which is far less by any stretch of human imagination. The country needs big storages and needs them immediately. Otherwise, any missing season would trigger a famine in the country, he warns.

A Met official claims that low hills have received such a heavy snowfall after many years. So, it would largely benefit the current season crop. All three factors would join hands to bring the country out of difficult period, he says and adds that the Irsa would meet only to quantify the benefit and confirm the obvious.