BBMB urges partner states to draw more water dams amid rising water level ahead of monsoon season
PTC News Desk: The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) on Tuesday urged its partner states including Punjab and Haryana to increase its withdrawal from the Bhakra reservoir for irrigation as the ongoing paddy transplantation season gathers pace across the region in order to regulate water levels.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the BBMB’s technical committee held in Chandigarh on Tuesday.
According to BBMB data, the water level in the reservoir stood at 1,578.07 feet on June 9, which is 21.47 feet higher than the corresponding level of 1,556.60 feet recorded last year. The level is also significantly above the average of 1,543.72 feet for the period.
Despite the start of the paddy cultivation season, partner states have not yet substantially increased their use of water from the Bhakra reservoir, sources said. During the meeting, officials discussed the need to raise water releases to meet irrigation demands while also creating enough storage space to accommodate the higher inflows expected during the peak monsoon period.
According to data presented at the meeting, the current inflow into the Bhakra Dam is 13,748 cusecs, lower than the 21,792 cusecs recorded on the same date last year and significantly below the long-term average of 30,514 cusecs. However, reservoir storage remains comfortable because water levels are currently much higher than usual.
At present, water releases from Bhakra are 20,763 cusecs, compared to 30,528 cusecs on June 9 last year. The figures suggest that although paddy transplantation has begun across Punjab and Haryana, the states have not yet fully utilised their allotted share of water.
Manoj Tripathi, Chairman of the Bhakra Beas Management Board, did not respond to phone calls or queries sent to him regarding the matter.
- PTC NEWS
