Himachal Pradesh’s Pong dam has been filled to the upper limit, while the Bhakra dam is just short from full, officials informed.
An official of the Bhakra Beas Management Board, which manages both the dams built on the Punjab-Himachal border told that water level in the Bhakra dam’s Gobind Sagar and the Pong dam, a man made reservoir stood yesterday at level of 1,677 feet and 1,390.11 feet, respectively.
The water level in Pong dam was 1,374 feet the same day last year.
The official data said that the water level in Bhakra dam was still three feet below the upper limit, while it has crossed the limit of 1,390 feet in Pong dam reservoir.
Authorities said the water level was at a comfortable level as the southwest monsoon has arrived well in advance and remained intensified in the region.
“The filling season of the two dams is likely to end by September 20”, an official said.
The Bhakra Dam is built on the Satluj river, the Pong Dam is on the Beas river. The official data said the maximum storage capacity in Bhakra dam is 1,702 feet, while it’s 1,393 feet in Pong dam reservoir.
In the past five years, 2009 was the leanest year when water in both dams was at the lowest ebb.
Both the dams serve the irrigation requirements of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. The monsoon, generally referred to as the dam filling season, normally ends in the last week of September every year.