Chandigarh, June 10 -- The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) on Tuesday advised its partner states to increase water withdrawal from the Bhakra and Pong reservoirs to help regulate water levels and avert a potential crisis during the upcoming monsoon and snowmelt season in the catchment areas.

Following the BBMB's advisory, which oversees the operation of the two dams - Bhakra on Sutlej and Pong on the Beas river - and the canal system, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan revised their water requisitions to 25,000 cusecs, 10,100 cusecs and 12,500 cusecs, respectively-nearly double their earlier demand.

The BBMB is concerned about the higher-than-desired storage levels in both dam reservoirs.

According to BBMB officials, the Bhakra's water ...