CHANDIGARH — The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has reinstated the publication of reservoir data for the Bhakra and Pong dams on its official website. This move comes after the data was notably suppressed following the catastrophic floods of 2023, during which the figures allegedly exposed gross negligence that led to the inundation of Punjab. The information remained hidden throughout the 2025 floods as well, depriving the public of crucial real-time data needed for making informed preparations during flood situations.
The restoration of this data is seen as a victory for transparency. However, the board currently provides access only to current-day statistics and has not restored its earlier practice of allowing access to term data beyond the current day.
Push by the Public Action Committee
The resumption of data sharing follows a legal plea from the Public Action Committee (PAC), a pro-environment activist group. In 2025, the PAC filed Original Application No. 469 of 2025 before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) against the BBMB. The petition accused the board of severe deficiencies in dam management, arbitrary reservoir operation targets, and the intentional concealment of data mandated for public disclosure under Section 35(1)(e) of the Dam Safety Act, 2021.
Responding to inquiries about whether the data restoration was directly mandated by an NGT directive, PAC member Jaskirat Singh clarified that there has been no specific tribunal order regarding this yet. He stated that the case is still ongoing and the BBMB has not yet filed its formal reply to the NGT.
Jaskirat Singh speculated that the board might have proactively resumed showing the water levels now so that they can claim in court that the data is already publicly accessible.
The Fight for Historical Data and Transparency
Less than a week after the 2023 floods, the PAC had written to the Chief Minister of Punjab and the Union Power Minister. They shared findings based on publicly available real-time reservoir information and dam flows, which painted a “very disturbing picture” indicating a strong possibility of human error at the BBMB for causing the floods in Punjab. They demanded an independent, high-level inquiry into the dam operations.
Instead of fostering greater transparency, the BBMB responded by removing critical historical data regarding dam inflows, outflows, and reservoir levels for the months preceding the August 2023 floods.
Partial Relief Amidst Ongoing Concerns
While the PAC maintains that historical data is essential for establishing trends and conducting comprehensive scientific analyses, they have cautiously welcomed the return of the daily figures. Before the removal of the data, the BBMB website allowed users to access older records, whereas now only current-day numbers are published.
Jaskirat Singh emphasized that while additional historical data is crucial for proper analysis, starting to share the daily data is a positive step forward. He noted that even current-day data is significantly better than a total denial of information, concluding that “something is better than nothing.” The PAC hopes these figures will not be suppressed again and will continue to be shared daily for the welfare of the people of Punjab.
Reservoir Levels and Flow Metrics
According to the data released by the Bhakra Beas Management Board as of 06:00 Hrs on June 23, 2026, the water level at the Bhakra Dam stands at 1564.29 feet, which remains below its Full Reservoir Level of 1680 feet. The Bhakra reservoir is currently recording inflows of 20,422 cusecs against an outflow of 32,650 cusecs. Meanwhile, the Pong Dam reports a water level of 1321.30 feet, remaining well clear of its reduced Full Reservoir Level of 1390 feet. The inflows at the Pong reservoir are measured at 3,348 cusecs, while its outflows are being maintained at 11,005 cusecs.
Current Reservoir Levels and Flow Metrics by BBMB:
Here is an embedded version of Bhakra Beas Management Board’s daily data-sheet: –
(Please Note: Current Reservoir Levels and Flow Metrics by BBMB is directly embedded from BBMB’s website. If nothing shows up here, it may be due to technical error or any other reason. In that case kindly check BBMB website directly)
