Chandigarh, Aug 19
After the Pong dam, floodgates of the Bhakra dam were opened on Tuesday for the first time in this season after heavy rains in catchment areas had alarmingly increased the water level in the reservoir, a senior official of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) that regulates both dams said.
Scores of villages in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh located along the swollen Satluj and Beas rivers may be inundated with the opening of the floodgates of the Bhakra dam as the inflow in the reservoirs has alarmingly increased owing to torrential rains in the catchment, mainly in the hill state.
“For the next few days, the controlled release of water from the floodgates of both Bhakra and Pong dams would continue to keep the water in the reservoirs at a safe level,” a BBMB official told the media here.
He said that the board is continuously monitoring the situation.
“With the heavy rainfall in the past week, the water inflow in both dams was alarmingly high. The management has decided to release excess water through the floodgates to ensure the safety of the dams,” he said.