The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) today urged its partner states, including Punjab and Haryana, to increase water withdrawals from the Bhakra reservoir for irrigation as the paddy transplantation season gathers pace across the region.
The decision was taken during a meeting of BBMB’s Technical Committee (TCM) at the board headquarters in Chandigarh this afternoon. Sources said the board stressed the need to utilise available water, citing relatively high storage levels in the Bhakra reservoir and the likelihood of fresh inflows from snowmelt and the upcoming monsoon.
According to BBMB data presented at the meeting, the water level in the Bhakra reservoir stood at 1,578.07 ft on June 9, 2026. This is 21.47 ft higher than the level of 1,556.60 ft recorded on the same date last year and well above the historical average of 1,543.72 ft for this period.
Officials said the reservoir is currently just about 102 ft below Full Reservoir Level (FRL), leaving limited space for additional storage if heavy monsoon rains or sudden inflows occur in the Sutlej catchment.
The data further revealed that the Bhakra reservoir presently holds 1.75 BCM of live storage, compared to 1.27 BCM during the same period last year and an average of 1.04 BCM. The reservoir’s live storage is 31 per cent full, considerably higher than the 22 per cent recorded on June 9, 2025, and above the long-term average of 18 per cent.
Despite the onset of the paddy season, partner states have not yet significantly increased withdrawals from Bhakra, sources said. TCM deliberated on the need to step up releases to meet irrigation requirements while creating space for expected inflows during the peak monsoon months.
The filling period for the Bhakra reservoir traditionally runs from May 21 to September 20, during which snowmelt from the Himalayas and seasonal rainfall replenish the Gobind Sagar reservoir. BBMB officials believe that judicious release of water at this stage will help balance irrigation demands and flood moderation needs.
Data presented at the meeting showed that current inflows into Bhakra are 13,748 cusecs, lower than 21,792 cusecs recorded on the same day last year and below the historical average of 30,514 cusecs. However, the cumulative storage position remains favourable due to higher reservoir levels.
At present, water releases from Bhakra stand at 20,763 cusecs, compared with 30,528 cusecs on June 9 last year. The figures indicate that despite paddy sowing beginning across Punjab and Haryana, states are yet to fully utilise their allocated share of water.
The meeting also reviewed concerns linked to maintaining elevated water levels for prolonged periods. Earlier reports had highlighted apprehensions within BBMB and other agencies regarding the continuous hydraulic pressure on the Bhakra dam structure due to persistently high reservoir levels.
Officials emphasised that with the Sutlej catchment spread across nearly 58,000 sq km, any cloudburst or intense monsoon spell could cause sudden increases in inflows, underscoring the need to maintain adequate flood cushion in the reservoir.
BBMB chairman Manoj Tripathi did not respond to phone calls and queries sent on this issue.
