With the reservoirs of both Bhakra and Pong dams at critically low levels, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) on Thursday asked the partner States to maximum utilise and conserve the monsoon rain water.
BBMB has requested the partner States of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi, to conserve the monsoon water to the maximum possible extent so as to store water in reservoir for utilisation during the coming depletion period starting from September 21, 2018.
At the same time, the partner States have also been requested to issue advisory to all the stakeholders to use available monsoon rain water optimally and judiciously.
Considering good monsoon forecast, BBMB is hopeful of having sufficient storage in its reservoirs during the remaining filling period up to September 20, 2018, said the BBMB spokesperson.
Giving details of the current situation, BBMB spokesperson said that the inflows in Bhakra and Pong reservoirs, from the month of March this year till date, have been very low.
From March 1 to July 19 this year, the Bhakra Reservoir received 9,93,247 cusec days less inflows compared to the same period during the last year. Similarly, Pong reservoir too received 5,18,065 cusec days less inflows for the same period.
On Thursday, the inflows in Pong and Bhakra reservoirs are 80 per cent and 38 per cent less, respectively, compared to the same day last year.
As on date, reservoir levels of Pong and Bhakra are lower by 36.88 feet and 77.2 feet, respectively, compared to the water level on the same day last year.
Inflows in river Satluj from March 1 to July 10 were 46 percent less compared to the last year and eight per cent less than the driest year of 2004.
Spokesperson said that so far, water has been released from the Bhakra and Pong reservoirs as per requirement of the partner states and also keeping in view the good monsoon season.
“Considering the situation, BBMB is monitoring reservoir levels and is also conducting two to three emergent Technical Committee Meetings in a month with the Chief Engineers of Irrigation Departments of the partner states as well as representatives of Central Water Commission and IMD,” said the spokesperson.