Chandigarh, Sept. 30 -- The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has raised concerns over declining water availability in the Bhakra reservoir and advised its partner states to rationalise and gradually taper their water demands due to the lower-than-normal storage position. The issue was discussed at a technical committee meeting (TCM) held on Tuesday, attended by representatives of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. With the reservoir filling season now over, the BBMB management cautioned the states that available water must be used judiciously to meet irrigation, drinking water and hydropower requirements. The Bhakra reservoir currently holds around 5.7 billion cubic metres (BCM) of water against its total live storage capacity of approximately 8.5 BCM, putting the storage level at around 68%. The water level at the dam is around 1,648 feet, about 17 feet below the average of 1,665 feet and 32 feet below the top filling level. Bhakra irrigates 4 million hectares of agricultural land in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. According to a senior BBMB functionary, if water is not conserved, it would lead to a crisis in the peak summers when water becomes scarce, and the need for drinking water and irrigation also increases. "Now, we have to use the available water judiciously," the BBMB management told representatives of the partner states during the meeting. Despite the relatively low storage in the reservoir, the partner states have not substantially reduced their water requirements.Punjab has sought nearly 30,000 cusecs, including around 20,000 cusecs from the Sutlej through the Bhakra system and another 10,000 cusecs from the Ravi-Beas system. Haryana has sought around 7,800 cusecs, while Rajasthan has demanded approximately 10,000 cusecs, officials familiar with the matter said. Punjab conveyed that its water requirement would fall substantially in the months following the rabi sowing season. The BBMB, however, has advised the states to reduce their demands in view of the prevailing storage position. BBMB chairman Manoj Tripathi advised the partner states to consider climate-resilient crops for the upcoming rabi season in view of the lower water availability in the reservoirs supplying the states. According to Tripathi, the current water availability situation is comparable to conditions witnessed in 2021 and 2024, when reservoir levels had also remained under pressure. The water situation is not confined to the Bhakra reservoir. The Pong Dam reservoir is currently at around 1,367 feet, approximately eight feet below its historical average. The water level in the Ranjit Sagar Dam is also below its average, with the reservoir level currently around 509 metres. A major concern for the BBMB is the lower-than-normal contribution from snowmelt. According to the board's assessment, the Bhakra reservoir received only around 2.8 BCM of water from snowmelt, against an annual average of approximately 4.3 BCM. The BBMB management has attributed the shortfall to deficient snowfall during the winter of 2025. The Bhakra Board has decided to convene another technical committee meeting in mid-October....