Flood worries mount as more water released from Pong reservoir

4,500 people affected; many families and livestock shifted to safer places; paddy crop remains 5-6 feet under water

The Pong dam’s reservoir touched the danger mark of 1377.47 feet, forcing the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to open its floodgates to release more water, and resulting in more worries for the residents in the mand area of Kapurthala that has seen around 20 villages submerged for the past three days. Villagers said the water level in their agricultural field has increased by a few feet, up to six feet in most of the affected areas.

As per the data procured from the BBMB, 39,238 cusecs are flowing from the Pong dam floodgates and 17,849 cusecs from the turbines.

Built over Beas river, the Pong dam’s catchment areas in Kangra, Mandi and Kullu districts of Himachal Pradesh have witnessed heavy rainfall and cloudbursts in the past weeks. As per the data procured from the BBMB, 39,238 cusecs are flowing from the Pong dam floodgates and 17,849 cusecs from the turbines.

According to BBMB secretary BS Sinhmar, “The inflow into the reservoir was 89,942 cusecs at 4 pm on Tuesday and 63,658 cusecs on Wednesday. Due to a reduction in the rainfall in the catchment districts, the inflow will further reduce and we may shut the floodgates”. Despite a reduced inflow, the reservoir’s water level has risen by 0.47 feet.

The water level in the Bhakra dam reservoir on Wednesday touched 1,650 feet, which is 27 feet more than the corresponding day of the previous year. “We still have space in the reservoir as the top level is 1,680 feet,” said the BBMB secretary.

Bhakra dam, which is built over the Sutlej river, receives a major portion of water from melting glaciers and about 30% from rainfall, while the Pong dam receives water predominantly from rainfall.

The water level of the reservoir of Ranjit Sagar dam, built over the Ravi river, on Wednesday touched 519 feet, which is five feet short of the top filling level (524 metres). Last year, the level on the corresponding day was 498 metre, 21 meter less than today’s levels. The reservoir is getting heavy inflows of 18,222 cusecs which last year on the same day was 10,275 cusecs. Today’s outflows was 5,892 cusecs while last year’s was 5,720 cusecs.

Sultanpur Lodhi MLA Rana Inder Partap Singh blamed the state agencies for the floods in several villages as according to him there is heavy mismatch in inflow and outflow in Harike reservoir downstream of the Pong dam. According to him, the state’s irrigation department should have kept an emergency plan ready but it wasn’t. He added that water from the river had inundated the area in 2023, but no lesson was learnt.

Farmers fear heavy losses

The water level in the Beas river in Kapurthala’s Sultanpur Lodhi and Dhilwan areas has recorded subtle rise, leaving nearly 20 villages inundated for the third day. Two government schools have also been shut. The water flow in Beas was recorded at 1.22 lakh cusecs, more than Tuesday’s 1.05 lakh cusecs.

Khushwinder Singh, drainage department’s sub-divisional official, said a close watch was being kept on the water released from the Pong dam as it will further deteriorate the situation in the mand areas. “The intermittent rainfall in the catchment areas of Beas have added to the worries,” Singh said.

Several villages in the mand area of Sultanpur Lodhi and Bholath remained under water as the main breach in Bhaini Kadar village led to flooding of over 4,000 acres of agricultural land, residential areas and schools. Over 4,500 of people have been affected as many of them have shifted their families and livestock to safer places.

“The breach occurred in the temporary bandh. It will be repaired once water level recedes. The main dhussi bandh is intact,” the SDO said.

Farmers have been fearing huge losses as their paddy crop remains submerged in 5-6-feet water for the past three days. Deputy commissioner Amit Kumar Panchal visited Dhilwan on Wednesday to assess the situation.

“We are ensuring an adequate supply of dry ration, fodder and drinking water in all affected areas to meet immediate needs,” he said.

“We deployed teams of veterinary doctors to care for livestock during this crisis,” the DC added.