Chandigarh, August 14
The unprecedented inflow into the Pong dam forced the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to release water from the dam today even as an emergency meeting of the board’s technical committee will be held tomorrow to decide the next course of action.

According to sources, the dam received an unprecedented 1 lakh cusecs of water yesterday, which resulted in a 7 ft increase in its water level. The water level, which was measured at 1,379 ft yesterday, rose to 1,382 ft today, indicating a steady inflow into the dam following widespread rainfall in Himachal Pradesh.

The inflow into the dam was around 30,000 cusecs on August 10 and 11. It increased to 48,000 cusecs on August 12 and 1.03 lakh cusecs on August 13. Since the filling limit of the dam is 1,390 ft, the BBMB authorities decided to open the dam spillway gates today.

BBMB Chairman AB Agrawal said the release of water from the dam started at 3 pm today and would continue for some hours till 15,000 cusecs of water was released. This was being done in phases and the Punjab Government had been informed about the same. Accordingly 33,000 cusecs of water would have been released by nightfall.

This includes 18,000 cuses that will be released from the Pong powerhouse and around 15,000 cusecs from the dam. Water once released from the dam goes to the Shah Nehar barrage from where it is diverted to the Mukerian hydel channel. Since the channel can take only 11,000 cusecs, the remaining water will be released into the Beas.

An alert has been sounded to ensure Beas farmers are not caught unaware.

Meanwhile, All-India Power Engineers Federation president Padamjit Singh has criticised the BBMB for not running the Pong powerhouse to its maximum capacity despite the high reservoir level. He said the board had released only 12,000 cusecs of water from its powerhouse on August 10, 11 and 12 when it could have released a maximum of 18,000 cusecs.

Sources said the BBMB authorities could resort to further spillage in case of a increase in the inflow. The level of the dam on the same date last year was 1,349 ft and yet it had risen by more than 40 ft by September 10 the same year.