Punjab: As Punjab grapples with its worst floods in decades, it has emerged that the water holding capacity of the Bhakra dam on the Sutlej river has dropped by nearly 19 per cent since its inception in 1963. Officials say the main reason for this is that silt has never been removed from the dam’s reservoir all these years. The revelation comes at a time when the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) is facing criticism for failing to retain water in the Bhakra and Pong dams when heavy rains wreaked havoc across Punjab recently. The release of excess water from the two dams, which are the largest reservoirs in north India, is being blamed for worsening the situation in the state. The Bhakra reservoir, popularly known as the Gobind Sagar Lake, is one of the largest man-made lakes in the country. Spread over 88 square kilometres in Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur and Una districts, the lake had an original water storage capacity of 7.4 lakh billion cubic metres, which has now come down to about 6 lakh billion cubic metres.
The reservoir was originally expected to receive 33.61 million cubic metres of silt annually, but the actual inflow has been 39.01 million cubic metres. The reservoir storage ranges between a minimum of 1,462 feet and a maximum of 1,680 feet. In recent decades, the water level has never dropped below 1,540 feet, sources said. According to BBMB officials, increased construction activities in the Sutlej catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and natural erosion have fuelled the silt problem. BBMB sources said the silt inflow increased particularly between 2003 and 2015, when the Kol dam was being constructed across the Sutlej river at Bilaspur. The inflow decreased between 2015 and 2017, but since 2018, when construction of four-lane highways began in Himachal Pradesh, it increased again, sources said. The inflow is likely to increase in the coming years, BBMB officials said.
About two years ago, the BBMB had proposed to dredge the reservoir near Bilaspur town and had also sent a proposal to the Himachal government, offering to pay royalty for the material extracted. Bhakra Dam Chief Engineer CP Singh said the BBMB has completed the formalities for dredging and is ready to issue tenders. “Since the reservoir falls under the jurisdiction of Himachal Pradesh, the state’s approval is a must. We have had meetings with the Himachal Industries Department, which handles mining, but their approval is awaited for over a year,” he said. The chief engineer also said the BBMB has sent a proposal to the Union Water Resources Ministry recommending that the dam silt should be mandatorily used in the construction of roads by the National Highways Authority of India. “Studies by IIT-Roorkee have confirmed that the dam silt is an excellent construction material,” he said.
Punjab: Silt removal work never done at Bhakra dam, capacity reduced by 19%
