Rajasthan seeks permanent membership in Bhakra Beas Management Board

Rajasthan Water Resources Minister Suresh Singh Rawat on Friday (May 15, 2026) sought permanent membership for the State in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), saying Rajasthan holds a 52.96% share in the Ravi-Beas waters. No official from the State has so far been appointed a member of the Board.

Mr. Rawat attended a function marking the completion of 50 years of the establishment of BBMB at Panchkula in Haryana. “Since the irrigation, drinking water and other requirements of western Rajasthan’s districts depend on the BBMB system, it is essential that the State be accorded appropriate representation on the Board,” Mr. Rawat said.

The Minister said appropriate decisions regarding water storage up to the maximum reservoir level of dams under the BBMB should be taken expeditiously after the completion of necessary studies. In the realm of cutting-edge technology, the utility of floating solar and pumped storage power plants should also be assessed and their implementation undertaken, he said.

Mr. Rawat laid emphasis on an extensive utilisation of real-time discharge monitoring, automated gauging systems, satellite-based water management, digital data recording and transparent online data sharing in the present digital era. He said this would strengthen trust and transparency among the States covered by the BBMB.

“The Ravi-Beas-Sutlej river system has played a pivotal role in transforming the arid region of Rajasthan into a lush green landscape and fostering economic prosperity during the last few decades,” Mr. Rawat said. As Rajasthan was situated at the tail-end of the system, water distribution must be ensured with transparency, timeliness and impartiality to meet the requirements, he said.

Mr. Rawat urged the Centre to provide “equitable representation” to Rajasthan by creating an additional post of a full-time member from the State in the BBMB.

Union Minister for Power, Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar, Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal, Haryana Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Shruti Choudhary, and BBMB chairman Manoj Tripathi were among those who attended the function.