Water level in state dams nearly double the normal
Vijay Mohan
Chandigarh, July 14
With many parts of the north India receiving heavy rainfall over the past few days, the water availability in crucial dams of Himachal Pradesh is almost double than the normal for this time of the year.
According to the data released by the Central Water Commission (CWC) on July 13, the combined storage at three dams in the state – Bhakra, Pong and Kol – is 97 per cent above the past 10-year average.
The total capacity of these dams is 12.475 billion cubic metres (BCM) and the storage at present is 7.606 BCM. It was 2.265 BCM at this time last year while the average storage has been 3.855 BCM.
Water availability in the Punjab’s sole major dam, Thein, is 64 per cent above normal. The current storage has reached 1,959 BCM against its total capacity of 2.344 BCM. It was 0.866 BCM last year and has an average of 1.198 BCM for the past 10 years.
The dams in Himachal Pradesh have a combined hydropower generation capacity of 1,196 megawatts and an irrigation potential of 676 thousand hectares, while the dam in Punjab has a hydropower generation capacity of 600 megawatts and an irrigation potential of 348 thousand hectares.
The water level of the Bhakra Dam was recorded at 497.18 metres yesterday against the full reservoir level of 512.06 metres. The water level of the Pong Dam was 416.22 metres against the top mark of 423.67 metres while water level of the Kol Dam reached 637.49 metres against the upper limit of 642 metres.
The reservoir at Bhakra Dam is filled up to 56 per cent of its total capacity as compared to 21 per cent at this time last year and the past 10-year average of 37 per cent. The Pong Dam is filled up to 67 per cent of its capacity as compared to just 15 per cent last year and an average of 25 per cent over the past 10 years, revealed the CWC data.
The inflow into these dams had been extraordinarily high over the week following heavy rainfall in their catchment areas. Release of excess water from these dams was put on hold because the heavy influx of water into downstream rivers, streams and nullahs had already inundated many areas.
