Bhakra authority to reduce water release from reservoirs

CHANDIGARH - The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), the authority that manages power projects in north India including the Bhakra and Pong dams, Thursday said it would reduce discharge of irrigation water to help maintain water levels in reservoirs following the forecast of a late and below-normal monsoon.

The decision was made after a meeting of officials from Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh here Thursday.

The concerned states have been asked to make alternative arrangements for the shortfall of water supply, BBMB officials said here.

The BBMB has decided to reduce the water release from the Bhakra dam on the Sutlej river to 22,000 cusecs from 28,000 cusecs every day. In case of the Pong Dam on the Beas, only 6,000 cusecs of water will be released daily.

“The meeting was called in view of the deteriorating levels in the Bhakra and Pong reservoirs. The situation had become critical due to delay in monsoon and inadequate snow melt, as a result of which reservoir levels are getting depleted even during the filling period,” a BBMB spokesman said.

“The situation was explained to the representatives of all the partner states and they were informed that in view of the latest forecast about the rainfall by IMD (India Meteorological Department), the levels in both reservoirs may go on depleting if reduction in the releases is not implemented immediately. Everybody agreed that the filling of the reservoirs have to take place in order to maintain the adequate supply of water during the next depletion period.”

The BBMB announced it would review the situation in coming days and any further decision would be taken in consultation with the partner states.

The BBMB power houses at Bhakra, Pong and Dehar would also be further affected by the lesser discharge of water.

The Bhakra reservoir level Thursday stood at 1,505 feet, after touching a low of 1,504 feet this week. The lowest water level at the dam is at 1,462 feet.

However, the BBMB officials said after the meeting that despite the monsoon being forecast to be late and below normal, raising the spectre of a water and power crisis, there was no need for panic.

The meeting was held against the backdrop of reports that the Bhakra dam, located 150 km from here in Himachal Pradesh, would be temporarily closed as the water level was fast depleting due of a decreased inflow of water from catchment areas and the delayed monsoon.

“There is no need to panic and the situation is well under our control. The water level is gradually increasing,” a senior BBMB official told reporters after the meeting.

BBMB joint director (spokesman) V.P. Sharma told IANS: “This is not a new thing that BBMB is facing, as it is quite usual because of the untimely monsoon season. We have faced similar situations many times in the past. The media has blown this issue out of proportion this time.”

He said the BBMB is fulfilling its basic purpose of providing water for irrigation.

“Electricity generation is just the by-product of the process. However, BBMB is generating 10,000 to 14,000 million units of electricity every year at the cost of 15 to 16 paisa per unit,” Sharma pointed out.

“There has been no reduction in the generation of electricity. We are generating more electricity these days. As of yesterday, 352 lakh (35.2 million) units were generated whereas the average generation of electricity per day is around 350 lakh units,” he added.

Sharma said that every day nearly 20,000 cusecs of water was being released for irrigation and other agriculture related activities.

“In the last few days, the demand of water for agriculture has increased, so we are releasing increased amount of water than normal days. Electricity generation is also high,” he added.

This month BBMB had generated more electricity by Wednesday (June 24) than it had generated in the whole of June last year, Sharma pointed out.

The 225-metre high concrete Bhakra dam was described as the “temple of modern, resurgent India” by the first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

The BBMB officials said that the feeding period for the Bhakra dam’s Gobind Sagar reservoir is between May 21 to Sep 20 during which rainwater and water from melting snows in the mountains reach it from the catchment areas.

“During these four months, around 60,000 cusecs of water enters Bhakra every day and by the end of this feeding period, water level easily reaches 1,680 feet which is the maximum level,” said Sharma.