More water released from Bhakra Dam

CHANDIGARH - More water was released from the Bhakra Dam into the Satluj river Sunday as its spillways were opened to maintain the water level in the reservoir.

The water level in the Gobind Sagar reservior of dam touched the 1,680 feet maximum storage mark Saturday. It was increasing by half to one foot every day.

“Today, we have released around 12,000 cusecs water. Current inflow is over 40,000 cusecs. We will continue to release excess water to maintain the level of 1,680 feet till Sep 10,” Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) joint director V.P. Sharma told IANS.

“There is no need to create panic. We are in constant touch with member states. Even when the water level crosses the 1,680 feet mark, we can still hold on to an additional 10 feet (till 1,690 feet),” he said.

The Bharka Dam is located in Himachal Pradesh, along the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh border, about 130 km from Chandigarh.

Earlier, the BBMB released excess water into the Satluj by opening its spillways from Aug 21 to 27. Release of water in the Satluj posed flood threat to the low-lying areas of Ropar district and the Sikh holy towns of Anandpur Sahib and Kiratpur Sahib.

However, the Ropar administration said there was no threat of floods and that they were ready to handle any emergency.

Ropar Deputy Commissioner A.S. Miglani told IANS: “So far there is no threat of floods in Ropar. The Satluj has an immense capacity to withhold excess water. But still our officials are monitoring the state of affairs and we are ready to tackle any kind of emergency.”