Water level in Pong reservoir 30 feet above normal

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, July 9

The water level in the Pong Dam reservoir in Kangra district has risen substantially in the past two days due to heavy rain in the catchment areas of the Beas.

As per the reports received from the BBMB, the water level in the Pong Dam reservoir today reached 1,338.87 feet, 30 feet above the average level of 1,308 feet at this time of the year. Last year, the water level in the Pong reservoir on July 9 was 1,301 feet.

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 1,610.26 feet. The inflows into the Bhakra Dam reservoir have increased to 1.60 lakh cusecs. Sources told The Tribune that the average water level in the Gobind Sagar reservoir at this time of the year was 1,576.85 feet; it was 1,565.41 feet on July 9, 2022.

Residents advised to be cautious

People residing on riverbanks have been asked to be cautious. However, there is no reason for immediate alarm as the Pong Dam is still about 50 feet below its optimum capacity of 1,385 feet. Residents will be warned in advance in case the BBMB authorities decide to release water from the Pong Dam reservoir. Nipun Jindal, Kangra DC

Most of the tributaries of the Beas in Kangra district, including the Chakki river in Nurpur, Manjhi and Gaj rivers in Kangra and Shahpur areas, are in spate. The district administration has deputed a team of 25 NDRF personnel in the Pong Dam area to carry out rescue operations in case of any mishap during the monsoon.

“The historical Kalinath Kaleshwar temple in the Jaswan-Pragpur area has also been closed till July 11 due to the increase in the water level in the Beas,” Kangra Deputy Commissioner Nipun Jindal said.

He said that people residing on riverbanks had been asked to be cautious. However, there was no reason for immediate alarm as the Pong Dam was still about 50 feet below its optimum capacity of 1,385 feet.

“We are regularly in touch with the BBMB authorities. People residing near the downstream of the Beas will be warned in advance in case the BBMB authorities decide to release water from the Pong Dam reservoir,” Jindal added.