After facing devastating floods, the Panjab Government has issued a directive to the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), urging it to stop random fluctuations in water outflows from the Bhakra and Pong dams. On the Panjab government owned Ranjit Sagar Dam (RSD) on river Ravi, the state blames the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) for wrong predictions. Krishan Kumar, principal secretary, Water Resources, argued that the planning of water release depends on the weather forecast provided by IMD. 'Unprecedented rainfall, which was not predicted by the IMD, occurred in the RSD catchment, especially in the districts of Chamba and Kangra in Himachal Pradesh, and Kathua and Samba districts in Jammu and Kashmir, on 24-26 Aug. On 26 Aug, river Ravi recorded a flow of 1,411K cusecs, with unregulated tributaries, drains, and rivulets making up 85% of it. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has launched a cleanliness drive vowing to make affected villages silt-free by 24 Sep. Estimated to cost USD 11.3M, the exercise was initiated after the government issued Standard Operating Procedures for the removal of silt from fields. The government has placed heavy machinery at all the District Commissioner’s disposal. The government has allowed farmers to clear their land and sell the silt deposited by rivers without obtaining a permit till 31 Dec. However, farmers say the sale would hardly earn them USD 22 per trolley due to its inferior quality. Mann also said repair work at public places would be completed by 15 Oct. He added that the government would set up medical camps in all 2,303 flood-affected villages. Concurrently, farmer union Bharati Kisan Union (BKU, Ekta Ugrahan) has formed five zones to reach out to flood-affected people and provide them with various kinds of aid, including ration, green fodder, medicines, and clothes, apart from preparing a strategy to support the farmers in wheat sowing. BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) president Joginder Singh Ugrahan said 5K tractors will be sent to desilt the fields, which will also help in paddy harvesting and preparing fields for wheat sowing (earlier coverage).
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