More Bhakra dam water released, no flood threat in Punjab

CHANDIGARH - The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) Sunday released more water from the Bhakra Dam into the Satluj river, but officials said there was no threat of floods in Punjab.

“BBMB had released 50,000 cusecs of water in the Satluj river yesterday (Saturday) and have again released 6,000 cusecs this (Sunday) morning. But, there is no need to panic as the situation is under control. All districts are safe and there is no threat of floods,” Punjab chief engineer (irrigation) Amarjit Singh Dullat told IANS.

“Satluj has a capacity to accommodate at least 250,000 cusecs of water and we still have a lot of space in it,” he said.

Water level in the Bhakra reservoir had reached 1,671 feet mark Saturday evening, which was two-feet above the level Friday. It can store water up to the maximum height of 1,680 feet.

Meanwhile, district authorities of Punjab, adjoining Satluj river, have alerted the Indian Army to remain ready for rescue work in case of floods.

“The administrations of some districts have alerted the Indian Army. But this is a routine exercise and nothing is new in it. We are continuously monitoring the water level in Satluj and the administration is all set to tackle any kind of emergency situation,” Dullat said.

The 225-metre-high-Bakhra Dam is located nearly 20 km from Nangal town in Punjab. The dam on river Sutlej is in Himachal Pradesh along the hill state’s border with Punjab.

BBMB is crucial for water supply and power generation for the northern states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.

“We had opened the floodgates Saturday and Sunday morning to maintain the water level in the Bhakra reservoir. It is a regular feature to regulate inflow and outflow of water in the dam and earlier also we had done it many times,” BBMB joint director (public relations) V.P. Sharma told IANS.

“This year we have increased inflow of water due to heavy rainfall in the catchment areas and in Himachal Pradesh. This is not an extraordinary situation. We are in close touch with our partner states and regularly apprising them about the situation,” he said.

Besides, met officials have predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in various parts of Punjab and Chandigarh in the next couple of days.

At least half a dozen districts of Punjab were badly affected by floods last month and around 30 people had died.