BBMB releases 15,000 cusecs water from Pong dam

0

HimVani

Shimla: Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) authorities today discharged additional 15,000 cusecs of water from Himachal Pradesh’s Pong dam into the Beas river as it was near the danger mark in the reservoir.

However, the inflow of water into the reservoir came down by Tuesday evening owing to less rainfall in the catchments of the reservoir. BBMB chief engineer VN Goel told HimVani over telephone that spillways were opened in the morning as a precautionary measure as the water level touched 1,394.25 ft at 1000hrs. against Monday’s 1,392.42 ft,”

He said there was marginal decline in the inflow of the reservoir. “The inflow that was 65,000 cusecs in the morning came down to around 50,000 cusecs at around 1,600 hrs. We are constantly monitoring the situation,” he added.

“There is no need for panic as we have released only 15,000 cusecs additional water. Up to 50,000 cusecs, it’s not treated as flooding in the downstream. We have released the water just as a precautionary measure,” Goel said. According to him, if there is continuous rainfall in the catchments of the reservoir, then more water would be released.

This was the first time in 15 years that the spillways were opened. Earlier, it was opened in 1988 and 1995. One of the largest man-made wetlands in northern India, the Pong dam reservoir is spread over an area of 41 km with a maximum width of 19 km in Himachal Pradesh. It came into existence after the construction of a dam on the Beas river in 1975.

Previous articleCong opposes land allotment to DLF in Himachal
Next articleMild snowfall in Kinnaur, Manali hills

No posts to display