At onset of winters, water level in key dams in Himachal Pradesh slips below normal

Vijay Mohan

Chandigarh, November 14

At the onset of monsoon over northwest India following rainfall and snow over the past few days, the water level in dams in Himachal Pradesh, which are crucial for irrigation and power generation, slipped below normal.

The combined storage in three major dams in the state is 3 per cent below normal for this time of the year, while the level in the sole major reservoir in Punjab is 5 per cent below normal.

According to the latest bulletin issued by the Central Water Commission (CWC), the reservoir of Bhakra Dam, which lies on the Sutlej in Himachal Pradesh, is filled up to 74 per cent of its total capacity. The storage at this time last year was 82 per cent.

The situation is better at Pong Dam on the Beas in Himachal Pradesh. It had witnessed record inflows during the monsoon earlier this year with the water level remaining several feet above the danger mark for a few days.

The present storage at Pong is 78 per cent compared to 79 per cent last year and an average of 75 per cent over the past 10 years. At Kol, upstream of the Bhakra, the present storage is 83 per cent compared to 88 per cent last year and 91 per cent over the past 10 years.

At Thein Dam, Punjab’s sole major reservoir that lies on river Ravi, the storage at present is just 58 per cent as compared to 79 per cent last year and 81 per cent over the past 10 years, according to the CWC. All four dams, which are important for irrigation, drinking water as well as hydro-power generation, are dependent on rain and snow for filling up their reservoirs. Their combined hydel potential is 3,175 megawatts.

Many parts of the northwest India received varying amounts of rain and snow in the first fortnight of November. According to the India Meteorological Department, rains have been above normal by 320 per cent in Punjab, 59 per cent in Haryana and 42 per cent in Himachal Pradesh.

The weather department does not foresee any precipitation during the coming week. The minimum temperature in the Western Himalayan region is expected to be above normal by 1-3°C or near normal.

Bhakra dam 74% full

According to the latest bulletin issued by the Central Water Commission, the reservoir of Bhakra Dam is filled up to 74 per cent of its total capacity. The storage at this time last year was 82 per cent, while the average storage of the reservoir over the last 10 years has been 81 per cent.