BBMB to raise water release for Punjab, Haryana for paddy season

Chandigarh: The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has decided to increase water withdrawals from the Bhakra reservoir for partner states, including Punjab and Haryana, as the paddy transplantation season gathers pace.During a technical committee meeting on Tuesday, it was agreed that drawing more water for irrigation will meet peak agricultural demands while successfully lowering the reservoir's current level from 1,578 feet. Ahead of the monsoon, the board faces pressure to deplete the reservoir to create a larger safety buffer for unpredictable rain and cloudbursts in the Himalayan catchment area, especially following devastating regional floods in recent years. This drawdown period directly overlaps with the water-intensive paddy transplantation season. Fulfilling the states' immediate farming demands through increased withdrawals will naturally bring down reservoir levels, ensuring safer storage capacity just as the seasonal rains arrive. Even though the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has projected a potentially weaker monsoon, the reservoir level is already high. Any unexpected cloudburst or heavy rainfall in the massive 58,000-square-km Himalayan catchment could trigger sudden, dangerous inflows. In late May and early June, the water level hovered around the 1,578 to 1,580-foot mark—nearly 45 feet higher than the reservoir level recorded during the exact same period last year. With the current level sitting at 1,578 feet, the reservoir has roughly 102 feet of vertical space left before hitting its standard full limit, giving officials a reasonable cushion to absorb the initial inflows of the monsoon season. The maximum permissible storage level under normal operating conditions is 1,680 feet. In extreme flood situations, the reservoir can temporarily hold water up to 1,690 feet, though breaching the standard limit is risky and strictly a temporary measure to absorb sudden inflows. The Punjab govt had advanced the paddy sowing date to June 1 for the 2026 kharif season as part of a revised agricultural calendar. The move is aimed at better water management and staggered, region-wise sowing across the state.