Dam water levels 52% below normal in state, 46% in HP

As summers set in, the water level at crucial dams in the region is well below normal for this time of the year, prompting authorities to sound a note of caution as it may have an impact on power generation and availability of water for irrigation. The rainfall over north-west India has also been deficient this season.

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The combined water storage in key reservoirs in Himachal Pradesh is about 46 per cent below normal, while in Punjab it is about 52 per cent below normal, information released by the Central Water Commission (CWC) on March 27 reveals.

At Bhakra Dam, which lies on the Sutlej in Himachal Pradesh, the current storage is 1.247 billion cubic metres (BCM) against its total capacity of 6.229 BCM, making for availability of 20 per cent. The average storage at Bhakra over the past 10 years at this time of the year is 33 per cent.

The current storage at Pong Dam on the Beas in Himachal Pradesh is 13 per cent as compared the 10-year average of 25 per cent. The availability of water is 0.816 BCM against its total capacity of 6.157 BCM.

Thein Dam on the Ravi in Punjab is filled up to 20 per cent of its total capacity, compared to the 10-year average of 41 per cent. The water availability is 0.469 BCM against its capacity of 2.344 BCM, the CWC data shows.

The combined hydel power generation capacity of dams in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab is 3,175 megawatts (MWs), while their irrigation potential is 10,24,000 hectares. Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, parts of Rajasthan, Delhi and Chandigarh are dependent on these dams.

The rainfall in Punjab during March so far has been significantly deficient. From March 1 till March 28, the state received 7.6 mm rainfall compared to the long-period average of 21.5 mm, accounting for a shortfall of 65 per cent, according to the data compiled by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Rainfall in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh, a critical source of fresh water, has also been deficient by 28 per cent in March so far.