4 days on, Pong Dam water levels above danger mark

Heavy rainfall in the Beas catchment over the past 24 hours has continued to swell the Pong Dam, where water levels remained above the danger mark for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday, forcing the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to sustain heavy releases.

According to the BBMB, the reservoir touched 1,394.15 feet on Wednesday — nearly four feet above the danger mark of 1,390 feet and the highest level recorded this season. On Tuesday, the level stood at 1,391.55 feet; on Monday, 1,390.52 feet and on Sunday, 1,390.94 feet.

At 1 pm on Wednesday, inflows were measured at 1,55,261 cusecs. To manage the storage, BBMB engineers operated six power-generating units, releasing 16,988 cusecs through turbines, while opening spillway gates to discharge 62,949 cusecs. The combined outflow stood at 79,937 cusecs, significantly lower than the incoming water, underscoring the growing pressure on the reservoir.

At the Mukerian Hydel Channel (MHC), the discharge was 11,500 cusecs, while flows at the Shahnehar Barrage further downstream touched 68,437 cusecs, signalling heavy water movement towards the Punjab plains. For comparison, outflows were 78,891 cusecs on Tuesday and 1,09,920 cusecs on both Sunday and Monday.