BBMB Orders Release of 8,500 Cusecs of Water to Haryana Amid Punjab’s Objections

• May 1, 2025

The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has decided to release 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana from the Bhakra Dam with immediate effect. The decision came following a lengthy meeting of the board’s technical panel, chaired by BBMB Chairman Manoj Tripathi.

Despite strong objections from the Punjab Government, the decision was pushed through with the backing of three BJP-ruled partner states — Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi. Congress-ruled Himachal Pradesh, also a partner state, chose to remain neutral. The Haryana delegation was led by Anurag Agarwal, Additional Chief Secretary of the Water Resources Department.

According to BBMB sources, the additional water is being released on “humanitarian grounds”, aimed at addressing Haryana’s drinking water and domestic needs, particularly in the drought-affected districts of Hisar, Sirsa, and Fatehabad.

Punjab, however, countered this by pointing to critically low water levels across major reservoirs. At the meeting, officials noted that the Pong Dam was 31.87% below last year’s level, Ranjit Sagar Dam had dipped by 16.90%, and Bhakra Dam itself held 10% less water than at the same time last year. They warned that releasing more water would cause the Bhakra reservoir to drop by 15 feet before the onset of monsoon — a significant challenge for irrigation during the upcoming paddy season, especially with maintenance work ongoing at the Pong Dam.

Punjab officials, led by Principal Secretary Krishan Kumar, also cited the Bhakra Dam Regulation Manual, which requires Punjab to submit an indent before additional water is released. However, the panel decided to waive this rule as a one-time exception.

Earlier in the day, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann accused the BJP of conspiring to divert Punjab’s water by leveraging its political influence in Haryana and at the Centre. In a letter to Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini, Mann said he only became aware of Saini’s request for water via the media and denied ever assuring additional supply.

Mann further argued that Haryana had already received more than its allocated share for the current depletion period ending May 20. He stated that, according to BBMB data, the water distribution this year stood at 5.512 MAF to Punjab, 2.987 MAF to Haryana, and 3.318 MAF to Rajasthan. The current crisis, he asserted, had emerged because Haryana exhausted its allocated share by March 31.

The situation underscores growing tensions over water sharing in north India, especially amid declining reservoir levels and an approaching sowing season that will test agricultural resilience.