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Centre Sets Up Panel as Himachal Clears Pilot Desilting of Bhakra’s Gobind Sagar

The plan targets a reservoir that has forfeited about a quarter of its storage to decades of silt.

The Himachal Pradesh government has given in-principle approval to the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) proposal to begin de-silting of the Sutlej River at Bilaspur, upstream of the dam, and is part of the reservoir’s jurisdiction.
Congress MP Manish Tewari speaks in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing winter session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Friday. (Sansad TV/ANI Video Grab)
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Overview

  • Official data placed in Parliament show Bhakra’s Gobind Sagar has lost about 2,568 MCM of storage, roughly 25–26 percent of its original capacity.
  • The Himachal Pradesh government has given in-principle approval and the Union Jal Shakti Ministry has formed a 10-member committee, with Assembly clearance still pending and work yet to begin.
  • BBMB proposes a one-year pilot under DRIP Phase II and III at Bilaspur once approvals are secured.
  • Bilaspur was chosen because water stays low for eight to nine months and it sits on an NHAI corridor, with the highways agency asked to reuse excavated material.
  • The pilot is designed to be financed through sales of sand and silt, with Himachal receiving royalties and BBMB retaining additional proceeds, as current silt inflow is estimated at 38–39 MCM per year versus the 33.61 MCM design.