Punjab: Historically Unprecedented Inflow In Beas/Pong Dam In 2025, 20% More Than 2023 Floods
“So, in the past few weeks, there was too much inflow of water; therefore, we decided to do a press conference.”
Punjab news, BBMB on the Highest inflow of water in Beas/Pong Dam in the history, Latest news: Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) Chairman, Manoj Tripath, on Friday said that Beas, also known as Pong Dam, received unprecedented inflow in 2025, the highest inflow the dam has ever witnessed in history.
Chairman Manoj Tripath shared the data in a press conference today, stating that the BBMB holds a press conference once or twice every year during the monsoon.
“So, in the past few weeks, there was too much inflow of water; therefore, we decided to do a press conference.”
He added that he keeps getting calls and that he is not able to answer them all, citing a busy schedule.
“These days, due to the surge in inflow, we have to conduct a lot of meetings. We have our internal meetings also. We have formed a technical committee as well, and we have to have meetings with that committee, too. There were meetings in the mornings as well as in the evenings. We have to keep meetings even on Sundays and sometimes at 10 in the evening during the weekdays,” he said.
Beas Dam, also known as Pong Dam, is on the Beas River, which he said received the historically highest inflow this year. “The inflow was never this much in history.”
The chairman drew a comparison of the 2025 inflow with the highest inflows of the past. He stated that this year, the inflow of the Beas was 20% more than during the 2023 floods.
He said that the inflow of water was higher in 2019 compared to 1988. It was even more in 2023 than in 2019. However, this year, it surpassed all the records of the past, and the inflow of water in 2025 is 20% more than it was in 2023.
In 2025, the total inflow of water from 1 July to 5 September was 11.70 billion cubic meters (bcm). In 2023, it was 9.52 bcm, while in 1988 the inflow was 7.94 bcm, and in 2019 it was 5 bcm.
"This is called unprecedented flow; never in history has the Beas ever received this much inflow."
Reservoir Rule Curve
"Every reservoir has a rule curve. The Central Water Commission gave us one in 2023. Until the 2023 flood, we did not have a rule curve, but after the 2023 flood, we took up the matter with the CWC. It made the rule curve for us based on the data provided by IMD and BBMB, and we work according to the rule curve. The rule curve tells us that water should not exceed a certain point on a certain date," the chairman said.
Rule curves are plots that represent reservoir storage over time, guiding storage and release decisions based on varying water levels. They identify target storage volumes for each day and establish appropriate release policies for the storage.
Bhakra Dam
Unlike Beas, the Bhakra Dam did not receive an unprecedented inflow. However, the dam did receive one of the highest inflows in history in 2025. It received 9.11 bcm in 2025, while in 1988 it was 9.52 bcm, and in 2019 the inflow was 8.59 bcm.
The water inflow in this dam was almost equivalent to that during the monsoon period of 2019 and 1988.
A BBMB technical committee, headed by the chairman, decides how much water is to be released, the chairman said during the press conference today. The team also includes chief engineers from Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. "Apart from these, the CWC chief engineer of Chandigarh is also part of this commission and attends every meeting, and we also invite the regional director of the IMD sometimes, whenever needed".
“From 6 August, we started releasing water through the spillway,” he added.
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