Punjab Flooding: Dam management and Infrastructure โWeaknesses Blamed for Recurring โDisasters
Chandigarh, September 15, 2023 – Severe flooding continuesโ to plague Punjab, prompting scrutiny of dam management practices and infrastructure vulnerabilities as key contributing factors to the โrecurring disasters. Concerns center on the operation of โขreservoirs โcontrolled by โขthe Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) โand the state of protective embankments.
The BBMB’s reservoir release policies are under fire, with officials alleging the โขBoard prioritizes โฃmaintaining high water levels in Julyโค and August to ensure winter irrigation and power generation.This practice leaves limited capacity to absorb sudden rainfall in August and โฃSeptember. Downstream state officials also report a lack of timely warnings from the BBMB, often receiving โlittle noticeโฃ before important water releases.
Punjab asserts it has insufficient influence over the BBMB, a Centre-controlled โbody mandated for irrigation and power, โnot flood control. Amendments โขto BBMB rules in 2022, allowing officers from โคacross India to fill top positions-previously reserved for Punjab and Haryana-haveโค further heightened โthese concerns.
“The BBMB holds water in its dams โtill the last โขmoment before suddenly releasing โit,” Punjab Water resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal โฃstated inโค an interview with The Indian Express last week.”There is โคno โฃhesitationโ in saying they (theโค Centre) do notโฃ care about Punjab’s โฃpeople.”
Beyond the BBMB, failuresโ in internal communicationโ within Punjab’s ownโข irrigation department contributed to recent damage. On August 26,two โgates of โthe Madhopurโ barrage were destroyed after water was released from the Thein dam,with officials blaming delayed gate openings due โฃto a lack of โคcoordination.
Experts emphasize the needโ for improved dam management across the region. Environmentalist jaskirat Singh of Public Action Committee Mattewara noted thatโ at ranjit Sagar, Pong, and Bhakra dams, “water was stored for many days and then released in massive volumes, causingโข sudden flooding downstream. A โflood cushion was not maintained, and warnings were delayed.” He added, “Heavy rain is โขnatural, but the damage was made worse by human decisions. Unless dams are managed with transparency and scientific discipline,Punjab will continue to face such floods.”
The condition โขof dhussi bundhs – earthen embankments – isโ also a critical issue. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, following a visit to flood-affected districts, attributed weakening of these structures to illegal mining.
A senior officer within the Punjab Drainageโฃ Department estimates that strengthening embankments and โdesilting river bottlenecksโฃ would require an investmentโ of Rs 4,000-5,000 crore, but could prevent greater flood losses.”Every โฃyear governments wake up only after floods,” theโ officer said to The Indian โคExpress.
