Amid heavy rains, Kangra admn to monitor Beas level regularly

Rajiv Mahajan and Ravinder Sood

Nurpur/DHARAMSALA, July 9

The Kangra administration will ensure the regular monitoring of the Beas river due to heavy monsoon rains in the district. The administration has instructed the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to report the water level of the Pong Dam reservoir twice a day, at 6 am and 4 pm, to the District Disaster Management Authority.

The DC said in the past few days, the water level in the reservoir has risen substantially due to heavy rains in the catchment areas of the Beas. “In case the BBMB authorities decide to release water from the Pong Dam reservoir, residents will be warned in advance,” he said.

Bairwa advised people to avoid going to areas prone to avalanches and landslides, besides upper hill areas. He advised people not to go for trekking. He said people were prohibited from going near rivers, streams and other water bodies during the monsoon season to avoid any untoward incident. He said all panchayat representatives had also been instructed to remain alert. He urged people that in view of heavy rains, they should avoid undertaking unnecessary travel.

The DC said the district administration was fully geared up to undertake relief and rehabilitation work in case of emergency and that officials had been deployed in the field with machinery.

He said JCBs had been deployed in areas where landslides were taking place on roads in the district. He asked residents of the district to dial toll-free number 1077 of the District Disaster Management Centre in case of any emergency. “Disaster management centres are operational round the clock in all the subdivisions, including the district headquarters,” he said.

As per the weather forecast, heavy rain has been predicted this week in the catchment area of the Beas and people residing near the river banks have been advised to be cautious. The water level in other reservoirs of the state has also risen alarmingly due to heavy rainfall in the past two days.

The water level in the Gobind Sagar reservoir of the Bhakra Dam reached 1,595 feet. Most of the tributaries of the Beas in the district, including Nurpur’s Chakki river, Manjhi and Gaj rivers, situated in the Kangra and Shahpur areas, are in spate.

During the previous year’s monsoon, widespread rainfall was witnessed in the Beas catchment area, due to which the water level of the reservoir had reached the danger mark of 1,381.58 feet against its storage capacity of 1,410 meters.

The BBMB had released 1,15,000 cusecs of excess water into the Beas in a single day on August 14 last year that had caused havoc in the Indora subdivision of Kangra district. The flood water had inundated low-lying areas and hundreds of people who were marooned in the flood were shifted to safer places by the NDRF team and local police personnel. Besides, hundreds of acres of agricultural land with standing paddy crop was damaged.

Most tributaries in spate

• The administration has instructed the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to report the water level of the Pong Dam reservoir twice a day, at 6 am and 4 pm, to the District Disaster Management Authority
• As per the weather forecast, heavy rain has been predicted this week in the catchment area of the Beas and people residing near the river banks have been advised to be cautious
• The water level in other reservoirs of the state has also risen alarmingly due to heavy rainfall in the past two days and most of the tributaries of the Beas in the district are in spate