Rajasthan

• 08 Jan 2025

Water Storage Caution by Bhakra Beas Management Board

Why in News? 

Recently, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) advised its member states to project their water demands cautiously, citing low water storage levels and forecasts of below-normal rainfall.  

• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts that North India will receive 86% below the long-period average rainfall from January to March 2025. 

 Key Points 

• Bhakra and Pong Dam Levels: 
  • Bhakra Dam on the Sutlej is at 43% of its total capacity. 
  • Pong Dam on the Beas is at 30% of its total capacity. 
  • According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), both levels are below the 10-year average. 
• Advisory to Member States: 
  • The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) informed Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan about the low water availability. 
  • BBMB advised these states to adjust their water demands accordingly to address the situation. 

 Bhakra Nangal Dam 

• Bhakra Dam is a concrete gravity dam across the Sutlej River and is near the border between Punjab and Himachal Pradesh in northern India. 
• It is India’s second tallest at 225.55 m high next to the 261m Tehri Dam. 
• Its reservoir, known as the “Gobind Sagar”, stores up to 9.34 billion cubic meters of water. 
• Nangal dam is another dam downstream of Bhakra dam. Sometimes both the dams together are called Bhakra-Nangal dam though they are two separate dams. 

 Pong Dam 

 

• In 1975, Pong dam was built across the Beas River. It is also called the Pong reservoir or the Maharana Pratap Sagar.  
• In 1983, the entire reservoir was declared as a Wildlife Sanctuary by the Himachal Pradesh government.  
• In 1994, the Government of India declared it a “Wetland of National Importance”. Pong Dam Lake was declared as Ramsar Site in November 2002.