BBMB to release 40,000 cusecs extra from Bhakra, Pong floodgates today amid Punjab rain alert

As the weatherman has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in the region on October 6-7, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has decided to open floodgates of Bhakra and Pong dams on Saturday to release 40,000 cusecs of water in a controlled manner in Sutlej and Beas rivers.

The BBMB authorities had recently drawn flak from various quarters over release of additional water from dams after the rain, which, opposition parties alleged, caused the worst flooding in Punjab in decades.

While 8,000 cusecs extra will be released from Bhakra dam floodgates around noon, 32,000 cusecs will be let out through Pong spillways. After extra release of water, the total discharge from Bhakra reservoir will rise to 44,000 cusecs and from Pong to 50,000 cusecs. The decision was taken at a technical committee meeting of the BBMB here today, said an official.

The outflow from Ranjit Sagar dam on the Ravi was increased from 20,362 cusecs to 37,686 cusecs on Thursday and the same discharge rate was to be maintained on Saturday, said officials in the Water Resources Department.

The extra discharge has been ordered to make space in dams for extra inflow in view of the rain alert (beginning October 4) in the region, including catchment areas of the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

Data available with The Tribune shows the current water level in the Bhakra dam stood at 1,672.88 feet (danger mark is 1,680 feet); Pong at 1,388.47 feet (1,390 feet danger mark) and Ranjit Sagar dam at 1,713.64 feet (danger level 1,731.98 feet).

Though water level in the dams will decrease after the additional discharge, the extra inflow in the rivers could again impact the areas downstream. As a result, the deputy commissioners of 17 districts had been told to remain on high alert in the coming days, said an official. The 17 districts, which witnessed devastation during the August-September floods too, are Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Patiala, Ludhiana, Ferozepur, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Mansa, Nawanshahr, Moga, Muktsar, Barnala, Fazilka, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Pathankot.