Punjab: Water level on the rise, BBMB opens Pong dam floodgates
As the water level of the Pong dam on Beas rose by over two feet on Monday, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) opened the floodgates releasing 13,848 cusecs of water, officials said
Chandigarh : As the water level of the Pong dam on Beas rose by over two feet on Monday, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) opened the floodgates releasing 13,848 cusecs of water (till 2pm), officials said.
The move comes after continuous rains in the catchment of the dam in Himachal Pradesh. The water level in the dam --- which has the maximum filling level 1,390 feet --- was 1,370 feet on Sunday and rose to 1,372.29 feet on Monday, said officials familiar with the development.
The water inflow in the dam was recorded at 90,000 cusecs on Monday (2pm) as against 50,000 cusecs on Sunday, forcing the authorities to open floodgates, said officials.
“We had no option but to start controlled release of water from spillways (floodgates) after a nod from the Punjab government,” said BBMB secretary Satish Singla. There is no major trouble downstream as water has receded, he added.
“The challenges are aplenty. Though we have to conserve water for the entire year, but we can’t let water rise fast in the reservoir. So, the release from spillways became inevitable,” said Singla.
The Bhakra dam on Sutlej also witnessed increase in levels by 2.81 feet on Monday. The level was 1,642.81 feet on Monday against 1,640 feet on Sunday, said officials. The inflow into the dam reservoir also witnessed a marginal increase of 1,000 cusecs touching 61,000 cusecs. “The situation at Bhakra Dam is not alarming as there is still 37.19 feet filing space,” said Singla.
The Bhakra dam is predominantly fed by glaciers and only 30% by rainfall. But due to heavy rainfall last week, most of the storage space was filled. Melting of the glaciers will again increase the inflow, said officials.
In the Ranjit Sagar dam, the water level was 522.7 meters (1,714.89 feet) on Sunday which rose to 523.46 meters (1,717.38 feet) on Monday. The inflows in the dam reservoir were recorded at 24,500 cusecs and outflows are being maintained at 21,000 cusecs, said officials.