While some argue that Punjab could have averted the worst of the recent flooding by agreeing to release 4,500 cusecs of extra water to Haryana during the depletion period as decided by the BBMB on April 23, fresh details reveal that the BBMB had itself denied Punjab’s request for increased water allocation in the first half of June………The decision was taken during BBMB’s technical committee meeting on June 2, where data showed that the Bhakra Dam stood at 1,563.73 feet, nearly 24 feet higher than its historical average for the same date……..
Rajasthan and Haryana objected to this raised demand from Punjab and said that it should be revised……
From the minutes, it also emerges that arguments for power generation outweighed irrigation needs…….
The board sent out the minutes of the meeting on June 9, and on the same day, Punjab’s water resources department wrote back to the BBMB chairman, strongly arguing against the rejection of the state’s demand for the release of extra water.
Water resources principal secretary Krishan Kumar wrote to the chairman, pointing out that the reservoir level of Bhakra Dam on June 4 was around 21.91 feet more than the average value of the last 45 years. So there was sufficient water available in the Bhakra Reservoir, and additional water could be released from river outlets after releasing maximum water through turbines.
Citing IMD predictions about overall above-normal rainfall and water studies prepared by BBMB, he argued, “It is anticipated that the Bhakra Reservoir will likely reach its maximum reservoir level in August, and excess water may need to be spilt into the Satluj River after the Bhakra Dam has reached its maximum reservoir level. This could lead to two serious consequences: unutilised water flowing downstream to Pakistan and a possible flood-like situation in parts of Punjab due to sudden high releases.”
He argued for water releases as per the demand projected by the State of Punjab, which would not only meet the critical irrigation needs of the state during the paddy season but would also help mitigate the risk of excessive spillage and potential flooding downstream.
He also held that if the aforementioned risks materialise during the monsoon period, the responsibility for any adverse outcomes, particularly flooding or the release of water to Pakistan, would lie solely with the Chairman, BBMB, and other officers of BBMB. Subsequently, on June 11, Punjab’s chief engineer canals placed revised requirements, and on June 13, BBMB informed Punjab about increasing the release to 28,000 cusecs.