Living along reservoirs, Dehra, Una residents face water paucity

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, June 7

Residents of Dehra region in Kangra district and Bhakra region in Una district are living on the banks of biggest man-made lakes of the northern region, including the Pong Dam lake on the Beas and Gobind Sagar lake on the Sutlej. However, both regions are facing acute shortage of drinking and irrigation water.

Due to prevailing intense heat wave, people of the Dehra and Bhakra regions alleged that their crops had been destroyed due to lack of irrigation facilities. There was an acute shortage of drinking water in the these areas as most of the drinking water schemes of the Jal Shakti Department are based in natural rivulets of the region, which see big decline in discharge during the summer months.

BBMB yet to comply with Centre’s order

• Living on the banks of two biggest reservoirs — Pong Dam and Gobind Sagar lakes — people of these areas have no access to drinking water and irrigation facilities
• A few years ago, the Supreme Court had allotted Himachal Pradesh 7.19 per cent share in the BBMB on account of merged areas of Punjab
• Though the Union Ministry of Water Resources, in a letter to the BBMB on May 16, 2023, had asked it to do away with the condition of NOC for Himachal to draw its 7.19 per cent water from the reservoirs, the BBMB is yet to take a decision on this

The Himachal Government has failed to develop irrigation and drinking water schemes sourced from the Pong Dam and Gobind Sagar lakes as it was not allowed by the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) that controls these lakes.

Sources said to develop any irrigation or drinking water scheme on the said reservoirs, the Himachal Government had to seek permission from the BBMB which is hard to come by.

A few years ago, the Supreme Court had allotted Himachal 7.19 per cent share in the BBMB on account of merged areas of Punjab. After the Supreme Court order, the BBMB has given 7.19 per cent share to Himachal in its power generation. However, the state government has not got its due share of water from the BBMB projects. The Union Ministry of Water Resources, in a letter to the BBMB on May 16, 2023, had asked it to do away with the condition of NOC for Himachal to draw its 7.19 per cent water share from the BBMB reservoirs. However, the BBMB is yet to take a decision on this.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who is also Minister for Irrigation and Public Health, said, “We have written to the Union Ministry of Water Resources that the Himachal Government should be allowed to plan water and irrigation schemes from the Pong and Gobind Sagar reservoirs without taking an NOC from the BBMB. We will pursue the matter with the new government at the Centre in the coming days.”

“It is unfortunate that the people who are living on the banks of reservoirs have lost their lands and houses for these reservoirs. They don’t even get drinking and irrigation water from these reservoirs. We have also demanded from the Union government that owing to Himachal’s share of 7.19 per cent in the BBMB, it should also be allowed to appoint a permanent member in the Board of BBMB,” he said.

Around 20,000 families from the Dehra region were displaced due to the formation of Pong Dam lake in 1960s. Many of them are still struggling to get the land allotted to them in Ganganagar district of Rajasthan in lieu of their land acquired for the construction of Pong Dam lake. Several agitations and political movements have been held in the Kangra region for the rights of Pong Dam oustees. However, people of the region have been deprived of their rights over the natural resources.