ISLAMABAD: Less rain during the next three months can lead to water shortage throughout the winters, the Met Office said on Sunday.

There will be early snowfall in October and November, the Met Office said, and that there has been some snowfall in Kohistan already. Though there will be less snow in December and January, more snow is expected in February and March, the Met Office predicted.

`However, we are not expecting a good winter in terms of water availability.

Even if there is some [snowfall], water will still not be available till the snow melts during the next summers.

We might be looking at a water crisis. The Met Office has already issued a drought alert,` Met Department Director General Ghulam Rasul said.

He said concerned offices are not taking the drought alert seriously.

The alert was sent to some 200 concerned departments across the country, including the ministries of food security, water resources, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and provincial departments, most likely to be affected by the drought.

`However, no one has approached the met department about the extreme weather alert that can [affect] both Sindh and Balochistan,` he said.

Mr Rasul said: `We are expecting minimal [rains J in the next three months.

Mangla Dam is half full which means we have enough water for 15 or 20 days at the most.` He warned that the expected water shortage will likely affect rabbi sowing between October and December.