Water levels in dams on Himachal rivers decline to half of their capacity; experts warn of thirsty summer

The people of Himachal Pradesh, who struggled last year with floods and have been experiencing a 3-month-long dry spell, may be in for more trouble. The state may suffer from water scarcity during summer in the months ahead, experts have warned.

Their warning is substantiated by data. The lack of rain and snow in the last three months have caused a severe reduction in the water levels of rivers that either originate in or flow through Himachal to the plains below, data from the Central Water Commission (CWC) shows. These include the Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Satluj and Yamuna.

The amount of water in the reservoirs of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan had reached half of their capacity as of January 18, 2024, according to CWC data.

Gobind Sagar, the reservoir of the Bhakra Dam on the Satluj in Una and Bilaspur districts just before it enters Punjab, has a capacity of 6.229 billion cubic metres (BCM). The reservoir had 3.115 BCM of water on January 18.

The Maharana Pratap Sagar created by the Pong Dam on the Beas in Kangra district, which has a capacity of 6.157 BCM, had 3.457 BCM water on January 18. The Thein or Ranjit Sagar Dam, built on the Ravi in Punjab’s Pathankot district, has a capacity of 2.344 BCM. It had only 0.567 BCM of water left on January 18.

There will be no rain and snowfall in Himachal Pradesh till January 24, due to which concerns of local people have increased.

SS Randhawa, environment and glacier expert and principal scientist at the Himachal Pradesh Council of Science, Technology and Environment, told this reporter that snowfall in December and January replenishes a glacier.

When this snow and ice thaws, rivers and streams get water. “The effect of prolonged drought can create water shortage during the summer. A study is being done regarding the impact of the current drought,” said Randhawa.

The impact of prolonged drought will be most pronounced in the form of water shortages in urban areas as well as in high-altitude tribal areas.

Senior journalist and environmental expert Archana Phull told this reporter that in the recent past, rapid environmental changes have been seen in the states situated in the foothills of the Himalayas.

“This past year, there was a lot of rain during the monsoon and the rainwater mostly flowed downstream instead of recharging aquifers. Now, due to the drought of the last three months, there has been a shortage of drinking water. If the situation continues like this, there will be a huge shortage of water in urban and rural areas in the coming months. Besides, its impact will also be seen in the agriculture and horticulture sector,” said Phull.

Experts said the maximum impact of the prolonged drought will be seen in the high-altitude areas of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti.

Sujata Negi, block technical manager in the state agriculture department in the cold desert Spiti Valley, told this reporter that there has been no snowfall at all this time. Whereas this was not the case last year.

She said farming is done only in one season in the Spiti Valley and people are completely dependent on glaciers and snowfall for farming. Due to lack of snowfall this time, people may have to face shortage of water for farming as well as drinking water during summer.

Water expert Pratik Kumar said that in view of the future challenges related to water due to the prolonged drought, the government and people in rural areas should be ready.

“Himachal is anyway a tourist destination and water shortage has been seen in cities like Shimla. The effects of the drought can already be seen. Hence, work towards saving water should be started from now itself,” said Kumar.