‘Sutlej tributaries added more to deluge than Bhakra release’

Tributaries of the Sutlej, especially Swan and Sirsa, have contributed more to the deluge than the main river in the July-August monsoon period, according to official data provided by the state Drainage Department here.

The inflow of water into the Sutlej from its tributaries have exceeded the discharge from the Bhakra Dam during the peak monsoon period.

The swollen Sutlej has submerged hundreds of villages in the state, including those in border districts of Fazilka and Ferozepur, while posing a risk to areas in Ropar and Ludhiana.

The Swan river, which originates from Himachal Pradesh’s Una, meets the Sutlej near Anandpur Sahib.

The Sirsa, which has its origin from near Solan in the neighbouring hill state, merges with the Sutlej at Ghanauli near Ropar town.

Tushar Goyal, Executive Engineer (Drainage) in Ropar, said the Sirsa brought in around 70,000 cusecs during the period, mainly due to incessant rain in its catchment areas.

Gurtej Singh Garcha, Executive Engineer of the department at Anandpur Sahib, said the Swan contributed about 90,000 cusecs in the area under his jurisdiction.

Of this, 75,000 cusecs came from Himachal Pradesh and 15,000 cusecs from local rivulets in Punjab.

In comparison, the discharge from the Bhakra during the same period ranged between 60,000 to 70,000 cusecs, according to the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB).

These statistics indicate that the Sutlej tributaries alone contributed around 1.5 lakh cusecs of water during the peak monsoon, surpassing the regulated release from Bhakra.

The situation worsened in the Beas basin as well, where additional inflows from rivulets in Hoshiarpur district compounded the already high discharges from the Pong Dam, according to source.

Gurtej Singh Garcha said that floods in the Sutlej were triggered when all three sources Bhakra Dam, Swan and Sirsa contributed simultaneously to the river flow. Former Punjab Assembly Speaker and ex-MLA from Anandpur Sahib KP Rana decades ago multiple dams on the Sutlej and its various branches.

“Surveys and project reports for dams on these tributaries were initiated after the Independence,” said Rana. “However, due to financial constraints and the urgent need for the Bhakra-Nangal project, only that dam was prioritized,” he added.