The Technical Committee of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has allocated water to Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan from the Nangal Dam as per their respective demands. The decision was taken in a meeting held on May 15.
According to the allocation, Punjab will receive 17,000 cusecs, Rajasthan 12,400 cusecs, and Haryana 10,300 cusecs of water. Haryana’s share, however, will be provided for only 10 days starting May 21, based on the safe carrying capacity of the Bhakra Main Line (BML) canal.
The BML canal, which supplies water to both Punjab and Haryana, is currently operating below its design capacity of 12,500 cusecs. Its current carrying capacity is 11,200 cusecs. Out of this, Punjab will draw 3,000 cusecs, leaving only 8,200 cusecs for Haryana—falling short of its allocation by 2,100 cusecs.
Punjab has cited the need for maintenance work on the canal as the reason for the reduced capacity and had objected to increasing Haryana’s allocation, stating that Haryana already receives 70% of the canal’s water.
To address disputes and technical issues, it was decided to set up a committee comprising members from the partner states, the Central Water Commission, and BBMB. The committee will work on accounting for dam water levels and losses based on actual figures rather than conventional estimates.
Meanwhile, Punjab requested that repair work on the third tunnel of Pong Dam be deferred due to rising irrigation demands for paddy cultivation in June. Rajasthan officials supported this request, leading the Board to cancel the planned maintenance. Consequently, water release from Pong Dam will continue at 4,000 cusecs from May 21.
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