Water Sharing Issues

• 03 May 2025

Why in News? 

Punjab and Haryana clashed over water sharing after the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) decided to release water to Haryana. 

 Key Points 

• BBMB Decides to Release Water to Haryana: 
  • On April 30, the BBMB decided to release 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana. 
  • The decision followed Haryana's demand for drinking water amid rising summer needs. 
  • BBMB manages water from Bhakra, Pong, and Ranjit Sagar dams, supplying Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan for irrigation and other uses. 
• Punjab's Allegations on Water Share Misuse: 
  • According to Punjab Chief Minister, Haryana exhausted its annual water quota (May 21–May 20 cycle) by March 2025. 
  • He accused Haryana of now trying to grab extra water at Punjab’s expense. 
  • He said Punjab holds a 60% stake in BBMB, and releasing water without its consent is "dictatorial and undemocratic." 

 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.