PAKISTAN (KARACHI): The recent rains in the coastal areas of Balochistan and Sindh failed to bring about a change in the water level in the Hub dam water reservoir except for a couple of inches, Hub Dam officials told The News on Monday.Tropical cyclone Phet brought massive rains in its wake on the Balochistan coast as well as areas near Karachi but Wapda officials said it did not contribute to an increase in the water level in the Hub dam which is rapidly reaching the dead level.Around 100 million gallons of water is supplied to Karachi and 60-70 million gallons to Lasbela district of Balochistan every day from the Dam, located on the borders of Sindh and Balochistan whose catchment area is spread over 3000 kilometres in both the provinces.Hub Dam officials said they had declared a state of emergency at the reservoir after tropical cyclone warning by the meteorological department although no direct warning was issued to Hub Dam administration for emergency arrangements.They said all the dam officials, including the Superintendent Engineer, Saleem Qureshi, and his staff, were at the reservoir since Saturday and monitoring changes, if any, occurring in the water level while staff were also posted on canals supplying water to Karachi and Balochistan.The dam officials were also in touch with the Karachi Water & Sewerage Board (KWSB) and Balochistan Irrigation Department officials and were closely monitoring both the canals in case of any increase in the water level in either or both the canals, they maintained.Villages and localities near the dam, especially those which were near the spillway, were warned to remain ready for evacuation in any emergency but things didn’t come to that pass, they further said.Dam officials said although they were not expecting any contribution to water level in the reservoir, they had made all the arrangements to mitigate any untoward situation and added that no significant change in water level was observed after 24 hours of the rains.“Water level in the dam has increased a mere two inches, which is hardly a day’s water for both Karachi and Lasbela district of Balochistan” the SDO, Hub Dam, Ahmed, told The News.Ahmed said they were expecting rains in July and August under the influence of easterly monsoon winds and hoped that dam would be recharged for supplying water to Karachi and Balochistan for next couple of years.Currently, the water level in the dam hovers around 291 ft. while the dam’s dead level is at 274 ft., SDO Ahmed said, adding that nearly two months’ water had been left in the reservoir for both Karachi and Lasbela district, Balochistan.Hub dam officials complain that at a time when the Pakistan Meteorological Department officials regularly issue weather advisories for other provinces and major water reservoirs, they hardly issue any warning or weather advisory regarding rains under the influence of easterly winds in Balochistan.Rains in Sindh and Punjab in the monsoon season are normally caused by the westerly winds but in Balochistan, it is the easterly winds that cause rains and often these rains lash Balochistan areas in the form of flashfloods, causing serious devastation due to floods in Nullahs and seasonal rivers.“Actually, easterly winds are responsible for rains in most of Balochistan, especially in over 3000 square kilometres of the area that supply water to our reservoir but unfortunately, the Met hardly ever intimates us about weather pattern or expected rainfall in the catchment area of the province” an official of the dam told The News.He disclosed that a Met observatory was established near Hub dam to monitor weather pattern and record annual rainfall but for the last several years, it was lying abandoned as nobody ever came there to perform his duties.Same is the situation of another observatory established near Winder Nullah in Balochistan where a small dam is being constructed by the Wapda, the official said, adding that it was also lying abandoned for the last many years since the retirement of a lone Met office employee many years back.“If we get regular weather warnings and reports about rainfall in our catchment area, our preparations for an expected flood-like situation would be more effective and managing water arrival in the dam would be a lot easier” he maintained.