Draft:Bhakra Beas Management Board

BBMB, known as Bhakra Beas Management Board is a Statutory Body constituted under Punjab Reorganization Act, 1966. BBMB is under the ownership of Ministry of Power, Government of India. The headquarters of BBMB is situated at Chandigarh. BBMB’s core function is regulation of water and power to Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, J&K and Chandigarh from its projects. BBMB’s irrigation & hydroelectric projects, transmission substations & lines upto 400kV and offices are spread over multi-locations in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh & Delhi. BBMB is generating 10000 to 14000 Million Units annually from its six power houses with installed capacity of 2954.73MW and is supplying about 34000 million cubic metres of water for drinking, irrigation & industrial purposes to beneficiaries states/UTs (thus irrigating 135 lac acres land i.e. 8% of irrigable area in the country).

Brief History

Bhakra and Beas projects form a major part of the overall plan of optimum utilization of waters of the three eastern rivers namely the Satluj, the Beas and the Ravi which came to the exclusive share of India as per the Indus Water Treaty concluded between India and Pakistan in the year 1960. Bhakra Dam constructed across river Satluj, controls its water for irrigation and power. The Beas was next tackled with the Ravi following soon after. Bhakra Project is a masterpiece of engineering in conception, design and execution. The quantity of concrete used for constructing the dam is sufficient to build a 2.44m (8 feet) wide road round the Earth at equator. The first Prime Minister of India, Late Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru described it as a "Modern Temple of Resurgent India." Bhakra Nangal Project was constructed with befitting dedication of 13,000 workers, 300 engineers, 30 foreign experts, working round the clock and stands as concrete reality today. Beas Project comprising two units, namely Unit-I 'Beas Satluj Link' and Unit-II 'Beas Dam at Pong' marks the completion of yet another temple of modern India. The project is the joint venture of the states of Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana and is unique example of interstate co-operation for economic advancement of the region. Beas Satluj Link Project, basically a power project, diverts about 4716 million cum (3.82 million acre feet) of Beas water into Satluj Basin falling through a height of 320 m (1050 ft) and generates power in the process. This project is the largest tunneling project in the country. During peak period of its construction, this project employed 540 engineers, 2790 regular staff members and 36,000 skilled and unskilled workers. Beas Dam at Pong is an earth core gravel shell dam with a live storage capacity of 7290 million cum (5.91 million acre ft) which is comparable with the storage capacity of Bhakra Reservoir. Rajasthan draws its share of water from the dam to irrigate the parched lands in its territory. Beas Dam Project employed about 1000 engineers / technicians and about 15,000 skilled / unskilled workmen toiling round the clock during construction.

Power Stations
Sr.No. Name of Power House State Present Installed Capacity Year of Commissioning
1 Bhakra Left Bank Himachal Pradesh 630.00 1960
2 Bhakra Right Bank Himachal Pradesh 785.00 1966
3 Ganguwal Punjab 76.39 1955
4 Kotla Punjab 77.34 1956
5 Dehar Himachal Pradesh 990.00 1977
6 Pong Himachal Pradesh 396.00 1978
Total 2954.73

Ongoing Projects

Presently BBMB has planned to add 4300MW Power through self-identified Pumped Storage Project sites, one at Raipur/Dober Uparla, Distt. Una, HP (1500MW) and another at Garial, Distt. Kangra, HP (2800 MW) for which BBMB is awaiting clearances/Govt. approval. Besides this, BBMB has two more Hydro projects namely Baggi HEP(42 MW) & Pandoh HEP (10MW) for which clearances/Govt. approval is also awaited.

Awards & Recognition

• BBMB bagged CBIP Individual Award 2022 for excellent contributions to the development of the Water, Power, and Renewable Energy Sector on 3rd of March, 2023 at New Delhi. • The Independent Power Producers Association of India (IPPAI), New Delhi, has awarded BBMB the 'Best Hydro Power Generator' award on April 8, 2023 in Kolkata.

References

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"Bhakra Beas Management Board". "BBMB at X". "Bhakra Beas Management Board - BBMB".