E-Paper
Torrential rain swells Pong Dam, Bhakra reservoir
Torrential monsoon rain in higher reaches especially in Mandi district in the past two days has led the water level in the Maharana Pratap Sagar also known as Pong Dam reservoir to increase by 5 feet in a day.
Torrential monsoon rain in higher reaches especially in Mandi district in the past two days has led the water level in the Maharana Pratap Sagar also known as Pong Dam reservoir to increase by 5 feet in a day.
The water level in the Pong Dam reservoir touched 1,335.47 feet on Monday with an increase of five feet from Sunday's 1,330.86 ft, while it is 33.85 higher than previous year's 1,291.62 feet on the same day.The water level at the Pong Dam reservoir stood at 1,316.96 on June 15, when the monsoon struck the state this year.
Built over the Beas river, Pong Dam is one of the largest manmade wetlands in northern India and has a storage capacity of 1,395 ft with danger mark at 1,390 ft.
The water inflow in the Pong reservoir was 1,08,221 cusecs on Monday, while 1,00,001 cusecs water was discharged.Meanwhile, the water level in another prominent reservoir - Bhakra Dam - has witnessed an increase of six ft since July 5.
The water level in the Bhakra reservoir stood at 1,626.14 feet on Monday, which is 82 ft higher as compared to this time last year when the water level in the reservoir was recorded at 1,543.09 ft.
Bhakra's maximum limit is 1,680 ft. The water level in the Beas has risen considerably following heavy rain which has led to increase in inflow in the two dams.
The Bhakra-Beas management authorities (BBMB) had opened two floodgates of Pandoh Dam in Mandi on Monday owing to heavy rainfall.
2011 nightmare
Water released from Pong Dam in August 2011 had wreaked havoc in downstream areas of Jawali and Nurpur subdivision of Kangra district. The unprecedented inflow of water into the reservoir had forced the BBMB authorities to open the floodgates of the dam after a gap of 14 years in 2011, leaving dozens of villages submerged in Beas water and hundreds of people stranded.
