Rain fury: Pong dam records highest ever inflows, water level goes 5 ft above top mark
Vijay Mohan
Chandigarh, August 14
With heavy rains lashing many parts of the region, Pong Dam on the Beas in Himachal Pradesh has recorded the highest ever inflow since it became operational in 1974. The inflow peaked at 7.3 lakh cusecs on August 14, with the water level in the reservoir crossing the upper permissible limit.
According to sources in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), the water level at Pong touched 1,395.31 feet today afternoon compared to the upper limit of 1,390 feet, translating to the available storage reaching 107 per cent of its designed capacity.
***๐๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ญ***
๐จ๐จ๐จ
Water released from Pong Dam.All downstream areas of Mandi, Hamirpur, Kangra and Nurpur to be alert.#Pong #Dam#BeVigilant #BeSafe#Rainfall #Himalayas#Himachal #Roads #HPPolice@TTRHimachal @CMOFFICEHP @HP_SDRF @HPSDMA pic.twitter.com/Lskr9rG3uO
โ Himachal Pradesh Police (@himachalpolice) August 14, 2023
โWe are engaged in flood mitigation through controlled discharges from the Pong as well as Bhakra by opening the flood gates of both dams,โ a BBMB official said. โThough the inflows have started receding towards evening, the situation is being monitored carefully and release of water is being calibrated to avoid downstream flooding,โ he added.
The inflow at Bhakra Dam peaked at 1.93 cusecs today, though there have been instances in the past when inflows above two lakh cusecs have been experienced. The water level at Bhakra recorded today was 1,675.71 feet against the upper limit of 1,680 feet. The reservoir has a leeway of another two feet.
Bhakra, which lies on the Sutlej in Himachal, is filled up to 96 per cent of its total capacity and at present has the available space to absorb about one lakh cusecs, according to BBMB sources.
The mean inflow at Bhakra as well as Pong at this time of the year is 60,000 cusecs. According to available information, the current water level at Bhakra is 36 feet more that it was on this day last year while at Pong it is 31 feet more than last year.
BBMB officials said that the spillway gates of both the dams will be kept open depending upon the level of inflows. โThe water level at Pong has to be brought down below 1,390 feet while ensuring that it does not cross 1,680 feet at Bhakra,โ a BBMB official said.
While the reservoir at Bhakra is primarily snow fed, with a large part of its catchment area falling in Tibet, the reservoir at Pong is primarily rain fed with its catchment area being in Himachal Pradesh where the Beas originates.
โThe situation is under control and we are taking decisions to release water in coordination with the state governments involved, but a lot also depends on the weather in the next few days as there is a prediction of light to moderate fairly widespread rain with isolated heavy rainfall over Himachal Pradesh on August 14 and 15,โ the official said.
According to government sources, about one lakh cusecs of water is likely to accumulate at the Harike barrage on the Sutlej in south-western Punjab. This includes the waters of the Sutlej-Beas rivers as well as the Chakki river flowing down from Pathankot.
