Panchna water release puts Rajasthan’s Bharatpur village on high alert

All villages in Bharatpur, falling under sub-division Bayana and Rupwas, were put on high alert Thursday after the gates of Panchna dam in Karauli were opened due to heavy rains.

The region has been battered by heavy rainfall for three consecutive days.

The dam with a storage capacity of 258.62 meter touched the danger mark of 257.20 meter following, which the Karauli water resources department The water resources department of Karauli opened five gates around 4 am Thursday morning, releasing around 8,000 cubic feet of water per second, to reduce the level of water in the dam.

Karauli district collector, Abhimanyu Kumar said water in the dam has exceeded its storage capacity due to rainfall and inflow from Gambheer river. Locals have been advised not to venture near the dam or the river. Water is being released taking into consideration the safety of the dam and will

continue until the water level in the dam is stable, said Kumar. Villagers living in the release area of the dam have already been alerted, he said.

The divisional commissioner of Bharatpur Suvir Kumar said all top officials, including the divisional magistrate, tahsildars and police officials have been directed to keep a watch over the situation especially in Bayana and Rupwas block.

Meanwhile, the Keoladeo National Park, which depends on water from Panchna dam hopes to receive the released water in two days. According to the park director Ajit Uchoi, the park receives nearly 200 million cubic feet of water from Panchna through Ajaan dam. The water from Panchna dam brings fishes and vegetation for the migratory birds in our park, said Uchoi.