Chandigarh, May 1 -- Efforts by the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to clear decades of accumulated silt from the reservoirs of Bhakra Dam and Pong Dam have hit a roadblock, with high costs, poor response to tenders and absence of a clear policy stalling the progress. The BBMB, which manages the two key northern dams, has acknowledged that sedimentation has consumed over one-fourth of the reservoirs' total storage capacity, reducing their efficiency for irrigation, hydropower generation and flood control. At Gobind Sagar - the reservoir of Bhakra Dam built on Sutlej River - around 1.5 billion cubic metres (BCM) of storage has been lost to silt out of a total 6 BCM capacity. Officials say this loss is causing the reservoir to fill and empty more rapidly, increasing the risk of downstream flooding. Surveys conducted by the board have revealed massive underwater silt deposits, including mounds rising up to 1,535 feet, located nearly 10 km from the dam wall. At Maharana Pratap Sagar, the reservoir of Pong Dam on the Beas River, about 1 BCM of the 8.5 BCM capacity has been lost - roughly 13% - due to sediment accumulation. The Bhakra Dam, commissioned in 1963, creates the 168.35-square-kilometre Gobind Sagar reservoir, while the Pong Dam, completed in 1974, forms the even more expansive Maharana Pratap Sagar, which covers a surface area ranging from 125 to roughly 245 square kilometres. Despite the scale of the problem, no desilting exercise has been undertaken since the dams were commissioned. Experts point out that rivers originating in the Himalayas carry heavy sediment loads, making periodic desilting essential for long-term sustainability. Initial tenders floated by the BBMB for dry desilting, which involves removing silt from exposed reservoir areas during low water levels, failed to attract bidders. A fresh tender process is now underway, say officials. However, the bigger challenge lies in deep-water desilting, where silt deposits cannot be accessed without advanced dredging, which involves removal of sediments or rock from water bodies. Officials said consultations with an Australian agency revealed the exercise would require massive investment, with each dredger costing nearly Rs.30 crore and multiple machines needed. Tenders were first issued to remove dry silt during the low-water filling season, but the response fell short of expectations. As a result, a fresh round of tenders has now been launched. The board is also consulting partner states - particularly Himachal Pradesh - and has identified Luhnu point in Bilaspur district as a site for dredging excess silt in Gobind Sagar. Officials admit that a major bottleneck is the absence of a national policy on reservoir desilting. BBMB chairman Manoj Tripathi said discussions are on with partner states - Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan - to evolve a coordinated approach. Another critical issue is disposal of excavated silt, which requires vast tracts of land and a viable system for transport and reuse, said a BBMB official. Bhakra and Pong dams have long been central to north India's agricultural success, enabling the Green Revolution by ensuring reliable irrigation across Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. The assured water supply helped expand paddy cultivation in Punjab from 2.27 lakh hectares in the early 1960s to over 11.8 lakh hectares within a decade, while wheat cultivation more than doubled by 1990. Beyond agriculture, the dams provide hydropower, drinking water and flood moderation, making them critical to the region's economy and food security. BBMB officials maintain that desilting remains a top priority, but acknowledge the complexity of the task. "The issue is complicated, but steps have been initiated. Let us see how soon we achieve success," a senior BBMB official said....