Pong releases1.3L cusecs of water, 2,054 rescued in Indora, Fatehpur

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, August 17

The BBMB released 1.3 lakh cusecs of water from the Pong Dam reservoir today while the Kangra district administration continued with its exercise to shift people living on the Beas riverbed in Mand areas to safer places. Around 2,054 people had been rescued and shifted from the affected areas of the Indora and Fatehpur Assembly constituencies till now.

Sources said that though water inflows into the Pong Dam reservoir had reduced to about 58,880 cusecs due to less rainfall in the catchment areas of the Beas, the BBMB released 1.3 lakh cusecs of water. The water level in the reservoir today stood at 1,396.28 feet, which was more than the maximum level of 1,395 feet maintained by the BBMB.

Deputy Commissioner Nipun Jindal said that most of the people living in flood-hit areas had been moved to safer places. Around 500 people had been housed in relief camps and the district administration was providing them food with the help of social organisations, he added.

He said that people had mostly suffered damage to their crops and belongings due to floods in the Beas. “There was no loss of life due to floods in the river. The exact extent of damage suffered by people can only be gauged after water recedes in the area,” he added.

As per a report sent by the district administration to the government, crop losses to the tune of Rs 20 crore had been suffered due to floods in the Beas. However, there had been no loss of life. The district administration with the help of the Indian Air Force and the NDRF had evacuated most of the people from the flooded areas.

Some residents of Indora and Fatehpur, which are located downstream of the Pong Dam reservoir, are engaged in agriculture and horticulture on the Beas riverbed. Some of them have erected kutcha structures on the riverbed for their cattle.

Rs 383 cr loss in Kangra dist

• As many as 268 kutcha houses have been damaged in floods in Kangra district, including 59 in the past 24 hours
• Around 41 pucca houses have been damaged due to heavy rain, including seven in the past 24 hours
• The district has suffered Rs 383 crore loss due to recent heavy rainfall