To tackle floods, construct dams on Sutlej’s tributaries: Rana KP to Centre

Former Speaker and senior Congress leader, Rana KP Singh, has written to the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti seeking the completion of the Bhakra Dam project as conceived by the British.

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He said the British had designed the Bhakra-Nangal Dam on the Sutlej to utilise the stored water for hydropower, irrigation purpose and tackle flooding in Punjab. He said after Independence, flashfloods were witnessed in the Sutlej and its seasonal tributaries — Swan, Sirsa and Mindhawan — which affected Una, Ropar, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Ferozepur.

Later, the Central Board of Irrigation and Power suggested that along with the Bhakra Dam, three more dams be constructed on the Swan, Mindhawan and Sirsa, he said. The survey for the proposed dams was carried out and the project reports were initiated, said Rana KP. He added that due to financial constraints and India-China war of 1962, the Government of India decided to construct only Bhakra-Nangal project, which includes Nangal Dam, Nangal Hydel Channel and Ropar Headworks.

He added that the floods can be tackled by constructing medium dams on the Sirsa, Swan and Mindhawan. He said water stored during the monsoon in the proposed dams could be utilised for power generation, irrigation and drinking purposes in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh.