2 Pandoh dam floodgates shut; no need to panic, says admn

Tribune News Service

Mandi, August 3
Two of the five floodgates of the Pandoh Dam are stuck, making both dam authorities and people living along the Beas in Mandi worried over the emergency situation. The malfunction has raised the alarm due to the potential risk it poses downstream.
“The two floodgates are closed due to an unexpected silt accumulation caused by a cloudburst on August 1, which resulted in a rapid buildup of silt up to 30 feet within half an hour. While initial attempts to open the gates manually were unsuccessful, the arrival of specialised machinery will expedite the process,” said Sanjeev Dutt Sharma, Chief Engineer, Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB).

The Pandoh Dam authorities are actively working to resolve the issue, aiming to restore the functionality of the affected gates to ensure proper management of water release from the reservoir.
BBMB Chief Engineer assured residents that there was no need to panic regarding the two closed gates at Pandoh Dam. He confirmed that necessary machinery had arrived and the gates would be made operational soon. Sharma explained that the dam currently holds no water and any incoming water due to rainfall would be managed by the remaining three operational gates.
Mandi SDM Om Kant Thakur also visited the site and assured the public that the BBMB was addressing the issue, emphasising that there was no reason for alarm.

Efforts on
While initial attempts to open the gates manually were unsuccessful, the arrival of specialised machinery will expedite the process. — Sanjeev Dutt Sharma, chief engineer, BBMB