Chandigarh, Aug 20 (IANS) The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) may soon release water from the 225-metre-high Bhakra Dam as its level is rising due to heavy rainfall in the catchment areas and in the Gobind Sagar reservoir in Himachal Pradesh, officials said Friday.
‘We are closely monitoring the situation and we can open the floodgates at the dam to maintain the water level. But it is a normal exercise of BBMB and no one should not panic. It is a regular feature to regulate inflow and outflow of water in the dam,’ the board’s joint director (Public Relations) V.P. Sharma told IANS.
‘The water level in Bhakra dam today (Friday) touched 1,668.5 feet, which is a foot above the yesterday’s level. We can store water up to the height of 1,680 feet but open the gates before reaching this level. We are in close touch with Punjab government and regularly apprising them about the situation,’ he added.
The dam is crucial for water supply and power generation for the northern states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.
According to BBMB officials, inflows of over 75,000 cusecs are coming into Bhakra and all its turbines are running round the clock.
The dam is located nearly 20 km from Nangal town in Punjab. The dam on river Sutlej is in Himachal Pradesh along the hill state’s border with Punjab.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government has directed the deputy commissioners of Ropar, Ludhiana, and Ferozepur, which have many low-lying areas adjoining Satluj river, to remain alert and be prepared to tackle any emergency.
