Punjab Government’s failure to check flood of encroachments in the riverbeds has reduced the water carrying capacity of the rivers. In Satluj river alone, the water carrying capacity is down to one-third due to encroachments.
“Sutlej river has a carrying capacity of two lakh cusecs. But, its actual capacity has now come down to around 50,000 to 60,000 cusecs (cubic foot per second) of water,” Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) chairman AB Agarwal told The Pioneer.
He blamed it on the encroachments that have deluged the riverbeds, including Sutlej and Beas in Punjab.
The assertion assumes significance in the light of BBMB’s warning to the State of Punjab to release “excess water” in the Sutlej and Beas rivers in the coming days when it would reach a water level of 1645 feet.
Making the situation even more fluid, the BBMB has maintained that the presence of encroachments in the riverbeds may restrict the free flow of excess water in these rivers.
Receiving high water inflows, the level in Bhakra dam has already crossed 1630 feet, just above 15 feet from the level of spillage. It is witnessing an average increase of 1.5 feet everyday. Notably, in a week’s time, the water-level in Bhakra has recorded an increase of over 12 feet. “Over the period of time, people have encroached downstream areas of the river. Colonies have been constructed, farm houses are there. You can find in the riverbed whatever you can think of. It all has resulted into diminishing the capacity of the river,” said Agarwal.
He added, “That is why there is a lot of hue and cry even when we release 50,000 cusecs of water. Sutlej has two lakh cusecs capacity, and it should carry that much amount of water.” Even as the BBMB has assured that the water release would be regulated in a way that it would not cause flooding in the downstream and release would also be decided depending upon the inflows, it has also maintained that it may release 70,000 cusecs of water to begin with.
“Out of 70,000 cusecs of water, 25,000 cusecs would be utilised for irrigation purposes, and rest would be flowed in the rivers,” he clarified.
A senior BBMB official, on the basis of anonymity, informed The Pioneer that the flood intensity of the Bhakra dam had increased in the past several years. The official again blamed illegal construction activity in and around the riverbed of Satluj and Beas for the same. He added that it had affected the free flow of water.
The official claimed, “Visit any district in Punjab through which Sutlej and Beas is passing, almost all areas are encroached” — an assertion totally abnegated by Punjab Irrigation Department officials.
“Those constructions are not encroachments…People have their land in and around the rivers. They have put up structures for animals. But, after BBMB’s warning, we have asked them to remove those structures,” a senior Irrigation department official said, while talking with The Pioneer.
The BBMB has also passed the buck on the Punjab Government when asked about the number and areas of encroachments in the riverbeds.
“We don’t have any information about the number of encroachments in which specific areas. It is the sole responsibility of the State Government. Gathering information about the flooding zones, encroachments, and evacuation process — its all job of the State Government,” said BBMB chairman. Only a couple of days before, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had a review meeting regarding flood protection measures across the state. Badal had issued specific directions to the Deputy Commissioners of Ropar, Nawanshahr, Ferozepur, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Moga, and Kapurthala — districts through which these rivers pass - to make adequate arrangements to effectively combat any eventuality.