Chandigarh, May 29 -- The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has commissioned an emergency study after detecting that the main wall of the Bhakra dam on the Sutlej river along the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh border is tilting outward beyond permissible limits. However, BBMB chairman Manoj Tripathi has assured that there is "no immediate threat" to the structure. "The permissible deflection of the wall under ideal conditions is 1.03 inches. At present, the dam is experiencing a continuous tilt of 1.77 inches," Tripathi said. "While this is a cause for concern and we want to assess the situation thoroughly, it is a preventative measure to ensure long-term structural integrity. There is no danger." The study has been awarded to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee for Rs.3 crore, with an additional Rs.1.3 crore allocated for foreign consultants. According to BBMB secretary BS Sinhmar, the structural deviation was noticed more prominently last year when water levels almost reached the top of the reservoir and flood gates had to be opened. "The deflection of the dam has always been a baseline concern, but now, for the first time, we have decided to get a deep study done to know the real scenario," Sinhmar said. The study will be led by ML Sharma, who heads the International Centre of Excellence for Dams (ICED) at IIT-Roorkee. The team is set to start work immediately after signing a memorandum of understanding, which is expected "very soon". "We expect a series of interim reports to guide immediate safety measures as the study progresses, with the final comprehensive report and action plan being submitted within six months to one year," Sinhmar added. The structural distortion is primarily attributed to a decade of unrelenting water pressure and internal siltation. For the past 10 years, the water level at the dam's reservoir, Gobind Sagar Lake, has failed to recede to its minimum draw-down level of 1,472 feet. This lack of seasonal relief means the dam wall has been under continuous, unyielding hydraulic stress. At present, the reservoir stands at 1,580 feet-nearly 45 feet higher than the water levels recorded during the same period last year. Compounding the pressure is massive sedimentation. Commissioned 63 years ago in 1963, the reservoir has lost over 25% of its original 6 billion cubic metres (BCM) capacity to silt, leaving only 4.5 BCM for active water storage. A senior BBMB official revealed that underwater mounds of silt rising up to 1,535 feet have formed inside the reservoir, just 10km from the main dam wall. Clearing these mounds presents an unprecedented technical and economic challenge. While the BBMB has invited tenders for dredging, disposing of the massive volume of silt away from the reservoir is a logistical nightmare. The board recently approached an Australian agency specialising in deep dredging, but the company expressed its inability to handle silt mounds located in such deep waters. While officials emphasise safety, independent experts and non-government organisations have urged for transparency. Ashok Thapar, a former BBMB member and engineer, agreed with the chairman's immediate assessment but noted long-term natural changes. "The dam needs to be emptied at regular intervals; otherwise, it loses its elasticity. As such, there is no immediate threat to the dam structure. Perhaps in 100 years, the reservoir will be completely filled with silt and it will turn into a run-of-the-river project. After all, we have controlled nature, and these are the after-effects," Thapar said. However, Manjit Singh Randhawa, founder of the NGO Lok Raj Punjab, warned that the situation demands emergency preparedness. "The matter is incredibly serious for the region. If there is structural vulnerability and water has to be released under emergency circumstances, it will cause total havoc downstream," Randhawa said. "We want the BBMB to provide complete clarity and take swift corrective steps." Any emergency water releases put several downstream districts at direct risk of floods. In Punjab, vulnerable areas include Rupnagar (Ropar), Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, and Ferozepur, alongside Fatehabad and Sirsa districts in Haryana. The vulnerability of the Bhakra dam raises critical concerns for national food security, given its foundational role in India's Green Revolution. In the early 1960s, Bhakra's canal network transformed vast tracts of arid northern land into fertile agricultural zones. The dam enabled an agricultural boom as Punjab's paddy area surged from 2.27 lakh hectares in the early 1960s to 11.83 lakh hectares within a decade. By 1990, it doubled again, allowing Punjab to fulfil up to 50% of the country's total rice requirements. The area under wheat also expanded from 14 lakh hectares in the early 1960s to 33 lakh hectares by 1990....