With better water level in reservoirs and South West Monsoon advancing rapidly towards North India, Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) today assured Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan of meeting their water demand for irrigation and drinking purposes.
"We have told the partnering states - Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan - that their current water requirements would be met as conditions are favourable due to advancement of South West Monsoon (to northern states)," a BBMB official told PTI.
"Whatever requirement for water was presented by the states we agreed to meet that," he said.
A Technical Committee Meeting (TCM) attended by representatives of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan today decided about water release to these states.
However if rains in catchment areas remain below expectations next month then the meeting could be held again to review water release to the three states, an official said.
The state of water level in in Bhakra and Pong reservoirs was higher than what were in corresponding period last year.
While Bhakra Dam today recorded water level of 1,600.84 feet, which is 4.38 feet more than what it was on the corresponding day last year, water level in Pong Dam, set up on Beas river, was 1,331.57 feet as against 1,317.76 feet on corresponding day last year, an official said here.
The water level in Pong Dam last year had remained worrisome because of scanty rain in its catchment areas.
The outflow of water from Bhakra was 34,041 cusecs as against 26,405 cusecs last year while the inflow was 35,750 cusecs as against 37,139 cusecs last year an official said, adding in Pong Dam, the water inflow was 12,659 cusecs while outflow was 11807 cusecs.
Cusecs is a unit of flow (especially of water) equal to one cubic foot per second.
Bhakra and Pong Dams are to be filled up to a level of 1,680 feet and 1,390 feet respectively by September.
Partnering states of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan meet their water requirements for irrigation and other purposes from Bhakra and Pong Dams.
