Chandigarh, Sept. 9 -- The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) on Tuesday asked its partner states - Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan - to rationalise their water demand and submit fresh, reduced water requirement schedules amid concerns over declining inflows and below-average water levels in the Bhakra and Pong reservoirs.

The decision was taken during the periodic technical committee meeting, where the states were advised to conserve water in the two reservoirs to ensure adequate supplies for irrigation and drinking water requirements during the coming dry months.

The water level in the Bhakra reservoir, has a maximum filling level of 1,680 feet, currently stands at 1,643 feet, around 20 feet below the average level calculated since the...