The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) today urged its partner states, including Punjab and Haryana, to increase water withdrawal from the Bhakra reservoir for irrigation as the ongoing paddy transplantation season gathers pace across the region.The decision was taken during a meeting of the BBMB’s technical committee held in Chandigarh on Tuesday. Sources said the board asked the states to utilise the available water in view of the relatively high storage levels in the reservoir and the possibility of fresh inflows from snowmelt and the upcoming monsoon season.According to BBMB data, the water level in the reservoir stood at 1,578.07 feet on June 9, which is 21.47 feet higher than the corresponding level of 1,556.60 feet recorded last year. The level is also significantly above the average of 1,543.72 feet for the period.Officials said the reservoir was currently only about 102 feet below the full reservoir level, leaving limited additional storage space if heavy rain or sudden inflows occur in the Sutlej catchment area.The data further revealed that the Bhakra reservoir presently has 1.75 billion cubic metres (BCM) of live storage filled, compared to 1.27 BCM during the same period last year. The reservoir’s live storage is 31 per cent full, considerably higher than 22 per cent recorded on June 9, 2025, and well above the long-term average of 18 per cent.Despite the onset of the paddy season, the partner states have not yet significantly increased their withdrawal of water from Bhakra, the sources said. The meeting deliberated on the need to step up releases to meet irrigation requirements while simultaneously creating additional storage capacity for expected inflows during the peak monsoon months.Data presented at the meeting showed that the current inflow into Bhakra is 13,748 cusecs, lower than 21,792 cusecs recorded on the same day last year and substantially below the historical average of 30,514 cusecs. However, the cumulative storage position remains favourable due to the higher reservoir levels.At present, water releases from Bhakra stand at 20,763 cusecs, compared with 30,528 cusecs on June 9 last year. The figures indicate that despite paddy sowing activities commencing across Punjab and Haryana, states are yet to fully utilise their allocated share of water.BBMB Chairman Manoj Tripathi did not respond to phone calls and the query sent in this regard on his phone.