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Himachal rain takes Bhakra Dam level to 1,612 feet, still far from 1,680 danger mark
The current situation is in stark contrast to August last year, when the region had battled unprecedented floods after the dam floodgates were forced open due to heavy inflows
Amid incessant monsoon rains in Himachal Pradesh over the past week, Bhakra Dam’s reservoir level has risen fast, reaching 1,612 feet — a 54 feet increase from 1,558 feet a month ago — with officials maintaining that the water level is well within safe limits.
The current situation is in stark contrast to August last year, when the region had battled unprecedented floods after the dam floodgates were forced open due to heavy inflows, which pushed the water level beyond the maximum filling level of 1,680 feet.
“The scenario currently seems to be like 2024 when the monsoon passed off comfortably as the water levels in the reservoirs of Bhakra and Pong dams remain under control,” said BBMB chairman Manoj Tripathi.
Officials at the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), meanwhile, said they were keeping a close watch as the inflow had increased to 41,000 cusecs while outflow was 25,000 cusecs.
Similarly the level in Pong dam reservoir has touched 1,348 feet — a 31 feet rise from 1,317 feet a month go. The dam is currently receiving an inflow of 48,000 cusecs and is releasing 14,000 cusecs.
The BBMB remains under considerable pressure from the partner states — Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan — to maintain comfortable water levels to avoid downstream devastation, particularly in Punjab, along with year-long availability of water for power generation, irrigation and human consumption.
In June, the board had asked the partner states to draw water to their maximum usage capacity to keep water levels in check.
On June 2, the Bhakra’s water level was at 1,578 feet, against the ideal level of around 1,500 feet for that time of the year, while Pong’s stood at 1,328.34 feet compared to the preferred 1,300 feet.
