Chandigarh, May 27 -- With the water level in the Bhakra Dam reservoir nearly 45 feet higher than last year despite lower inflows, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) and Punjab's water resources department are facing a difficult situation this summer amid fears of a weak monsoon as well as floods similar to those witnessed in 2023 and 2025 that caused extensive damage across the state. Authorities are yet to finalise a strategy for regulating water in the reservoirs of the three major dams managed by the BBMB - Pong Dam on the Beas, Ranjit Sagar Dam on the Ravi and Bhakra on the Sutlej. "We are working against the odds as the water level in the Bhakra Dam reservoir is nearly 45 feet higher than the previous year. The predictions by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) indicate a weak monsoon, but the clear picture is still not available," said BBMB chairman Manoj Tripathi. As on Monday, the water level in the Bhakra reservoir stood at 1,580 feet, compared to 1,535 feet on the corresponding day last year. However, water levels in Pong and Ranjit Sagar reservoirs are lower than last year. Tripathi said the concern is that the reservoir is being maintained at a higher level despite inflows being lower than the previous year and monsoon rainfall being projected at nearly 84% of the normal average. "The Bhakra reservoir spreads over 68 square kilometres and the Sutlej catchment area extends over nearly 58,000 square kilometres. Any cloudburst activity in the catchment region can result in a sudden rise in the reservoir level and create a flood threat downstream," he said. Tripathi added that if the IMD provides a clearer rainfall and weather forecast on May 31, a technical committee meeting (TCM) involving partner states - Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan - will be convened to decide the future course of action. Punjab is currently drawing nearly 12,000 cusecs of water from the Bhakra reservoir for agricultural purposes and the demand is expected to rise from June 1 with the commencement of paddy transplantation in the state. Amid the ongoing heatwave and rising power demand, the Punjab government has also asked BBMB to generate electricity at its full capacity of nearly 2,200 MW, compared to the usual generation level of around 1,600 MW. The concerns come against the backdrop of devastating floods in Punjab during 2023 and 2025, which intensified after unprecedented monsoon rains and cloudbursts in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir forced authorities to release excess water from dams into rivers such as the Beas, Ravi, Sutlej and Ghaggar. Punjab water resources minister Barinder Kumar Goyal said the BBMB has been asked to regulate water cautiously to ensure that flood-like situations do not arise while simultaneously meeting the water requirements of all partner states....