Lok Sabha Question No. 717 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-04
Subject: Status of De-silting of Dams in Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Manish Tewari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

## DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 717

## ANSWERED ON 04.12.2025

## STATUS OF DE-SILTING OF DAMS IN HARYANA, PUNJAB AND HIMACHAL PRADESH

## 717.    SHRI MANISH TEWARI:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) the total number of dams located in Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and their current storage capacity;

(b) whether the Government has undertaken or proposes to undertake de-silting of these dams and if so, the details thereof indicating the dams where de-silting has been completed, ongoing and is pending;

(c) the total funds sanctioned, released and utilised for de-silting, maintenance and rehabilitation of these dams during the last five years along with reasons for any delays or under-utilisation;

(d) the extent of silt accumulation in these dams compared to their original design capacity, based on recent surveys; and

(e) the steps being taken to ensure sustainable water storage, efficient dam management and flood control in these States?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a) According to the National Register of Specified Dams, 2025 compiled by the National Dam Safety Authority, Haryana has 3 specified dams, Punjab has 15, and Himachal Pradesh has 24. The current gross storage  capacity  of  24  reservoirs  across  these  states,  as  assessed  through  recent  surveys,  is  given  at Annexure .

(b)  &  (c) 'Water'  being  a  state  subject;  planning,  execution  and  operation  and  maintenance  of  water resources projects are carried out by the State Governments from their own resources and as per their own requirements and priority. In order to supplement the efforts of the State Governments, the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation provides technical and financial assistance to  encourage  sustainable  development  and  efficient  management  of  water  resources  through  various schemes  and  programmes  such  as  Repair,  Renovation  and  Restoration  (RRR)  of  water  bodies  and  Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) etc.

Under the ongoing externally funded DRIP Phase-II & III Scheme, provision has been made for desiltation  of  selected  dams  in  participating  States/agencies,  subject  to  the  techno-economic viability  of  the proposals. At present, the Punjab Water Resources Department and the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) are the implementing agencies under DRIP-II & III, whereas Haryana and Himachal Pradesh are not part of this Scheme.

The Government of Punjab has conveyed that it has undertaken the de-siltation of 13 dams located in the Kandi area using its own financial resources. At present, de-siltation works are in progress at four dams namely Chohal, Siswan, Saleran, and Thana. For the remaining nine dams, the Government of Punjab has submitted proposals to the Government of India seeking forest clearance.

Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has, till date, not initiated de-siltation activities in its two major storage reservoirs, namely Bhakra and Pong. However, BBMB has contemplated a pilot project for de-siltation of the Bhakra reservoir under the DRIP Phase-II & III Scheme. This initiative is envisaged in a revenue-generation  mode;  accordingly,  no  separate  fund  requirement  for  the  de-siltation  of  the  Bhakra reservoir is anticipated.

In  Himachal  Pradesh,  most  dam-owning  agencies  undertake  silt  removal  from  reservoirs  through periodic flushing operations, carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Operation & Maintenance (O&M) Manual, typically during the monsoon season.

Further, the Government of Punjab and BBMB are participating in the DRIP Phase-II & III Scheme for the rehabilitation of their dams. Under this Scheme, Punjab is undertaking rehabilitation of 12 dams with an allocation  of  Rs.  442  Crore,  while  BBMB  is  rehabilitating  2  dams  with  an  allocation  of  Rs.  230  Crore. These two agencies formally joined the DRIP Phase-II & III Scheme recently in October 2025.

(d) As  per  the  Compendium  on  Sedimentation  of  Reservoirs  in  India  -  Vol.  II:  Details  of  Individual Reservoirs, published by the Central Water Commission in 2024, along with information furnished by the respective States, the extent of silt accumulation in these dams relative to their original design capacity has been assessed through recent surveys conducted in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana. The detailed findings are enclosed as Annexure .

(e) Responsibility for safety of dams, including its operation and maintenance rests primarily with dam owners which are mostly the State Governments and Central/State Public Sector Units.

In order to address the dam safety issues holistically, Union Government has enacted the Dam Safety Act in December  2021.  The  Act  provides  a  comprehensive  frame  work  for  proper  surveillance,  inspection, operations  and  maintenance  of  all  the  large  (specified)  dams  of  the  country  for  ensuring  their  safe functioning and to avoid dam failure related disasters.

In addition to this regulatory reform, the Government of India is implementing the Dam Rehabilitation and  Improvement Project (DRIP), Phase-II  &  III  with  external  funding  support.  The  scheme  aims  at  the rehabilitation and safety enhancement of 736 dams across 19 States, with a total budget outlay of Rs. 10,211 crore and a duration of 10 years. Notably, DRIP Phase-II became operational on 12th October 2021.

Moreover, the Central Water Commission monitors the live storage capacity of 166 major reservoirs across the country including three in Himachal Pradesh and one in Punjab through the Reservoir Storage Monitoring System (RSMS) and issues a weekly bulletin. This bulletin is also uploaded on the RSMS portal for public access. Such open availability of information supports informed decision-making, enabling better planning for irrigation, drinking water supply, flood management, and drought preparedness.

***

## ANNEXURE

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) & (d) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 717 TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 04.12.2025 REGARDING 'STATUS OF DESILTING OF DAMS IN HARYANA, PUNJAB AND HIMACHAL PRADESH'.

## Extent of silt accumulation in the dams compared to their original design capacity, based on recent surveys

|   S.No. | State            | Name of Dam      |   Original Gross Storage Capacity (MCM) |   Current Gross Storage Capacity (MCM) |   Loss of Storage Capacity (MCM) |
|---------|------------------|------------------|-----------------------------------------|----------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
|       1 | Punjab           | RanjitSagar Dam  |                                3280     |                               3090     |                          190     |
|       2 | Punjab           | Shahpurkandi Dam |                                 120.71  |                                120     |                            0.71  |
|       3 | Punjab           | Maili            |                                   4.811 |                                  2.46  |                            2.351 |
|       4 | Punjab           | Dholbaha         |                                  13.321 |                                  9.51  |                            3.811 |
|       5 | Punjab           | Janauri          |                                   2.1   |                                  0.94  |                            1.16  |
|       6 | Punjab           | Damsal           |                                   6.69  |                                  3.18  |                            3.51  |
|       7 | Punjab           | Perch            |                                   1.25  |                                  0.01  |                            1.24  |
|       8 | Punjab           | Mirzapur         |                                   4.3   |                                  1.13  |                            3.17  |
|       9 | Punjab           | Jainti           |                                   2.872 |                                  2.21  |                            0.662 |
|      10 | Punjab           | Siswan           |                                   4.8   |                                  2.9   |                            1.9   |
|      11 | Punjab           | Patiari          |                                   7.92  |                                  1.73  |                            6.19  |
|      12 | Punjab           | Thana            |                                   3.827 |                                  2.79  |                            1.037 |
|      13 | Punjab           | Nara             |                                   1.96  |                                  1.66  |                            0.3   |
|      14 | Punjab           | Nangal           |                                  25.22  |                                 19     |                            6.22  |
|      15 | Himachal Pradesh | Bhakra           |                                9868     |                               7300     |                         2568     |
|      16 | Himachal Pradesh | Beas             |                                8570     |                               7380     |                         1190     |
|      17 | Himachal Pradesh | Pandoh           |                                  41     |                                 41     |                            0     |
|      18 | Himachal Pradesh | ADHPL            |                                   0.224 |                                  0.224 |                            0     |
|      19 | Himachal Pradesh | Baira            |                                   3.75  |                                  0.7   |                            3.05  |
|      20 | Himachal Pradesh | Chamera-I        |                                 391     |                                195.1   |                          195.9   |
|      21 | Himachal Pradesh | Chamera-II       |                                   2     |                                  1.68  |                            0.32  |
|      22 | Himachal Pradesh | Chamera-III      |                                   5     |                                  2.97  |                            2.03  |
|      23 | Himachal Pradesh | Parbati-III      |                                   2     |                                  1.21  |                            0.79  |
|      24 | Haryana          | Kaushalya Dam    |                                  13.68  |                                 12.42  |                            1.26  |

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