Massive inflow into Himachal dams, but situation 'under control'

Vijay Mohan

Chandigarh, July 9

Amid widespread rains in northwest India over the past two days, there has been a massive spike in the inflow of water at major dams in the region, but the situation remains under control.

Rains over past 24 hours in excess by…

1,193% HP

1,151%Punjab

764% Haryana

The inflow into the reservoir at Pong Dam that lies on the Beas in Himachal Pradesh peaked at 3.5 lakh cusecs on Sunday afternoon, while the inflow at Bhakra, which lies on the Sutlej in Himachal Pradesh, rose 2.25 lakh cusecs, according to officials at the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB).

“Prior to the rains, the average inflow into Pong was 25,000-30,000 cusecs and that at Bhakra was 40,000-50,000 cusecs,” a senior BBMB official said. “With the heavy rains over the past two days, which for us is a good sign, the water level at both dams has gone up by about 5 feet,” he said.

The water level recorded at Pong on Sunday was 1,341.5 feet, while that at Bhakra was 1,610 feet. “The reservoirs at present at filled up to about 50 per cent of their total capacity, which though above normal for this time of the year still leaves plenty of scope for additional heavy inflows,” the official said.

BBMB officials said due to the heavy rains in the region, about two lakh cusecs of water had passed into the Sutlej and its tributaries and rivulets downstream of the Bhakra dam.

Consequently, outflows from the Bhakra as well as Pong dams have been reduced to cater to the additional water flowing into the natural water channels and mitigate the level of flooding in areas adjoining the river.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), rains during the past 24 hours have been in excess by 1,193 per cent in Himachal Pradesh, 1,151 per cent in Punjab and 764 per cent in Haryana.

From the morning of July 8 to July 9, Himachal Pradesh received 103.40mm rain compared to the normal of 8.00 mm. Punjab received 57.50 mm, while Haryana received 38.90 mm compared to the normal of 4.60 mm and 4.50 mm, respectively.

The overall rainfall in these states for July so far has also been significantly surplus.