Punjab Desk
6 September
Journalist Sandeep Dhand Ludhiana
BBMB Clarifies Its Role
The rising water level in Pong Dam on Friday once again raised concern for the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) and the Punjab government. In response, the BBMB technical committee stated that floods in Punjab are not due to BBMB. Instead, they explained that this year, compared to 2023, the inflow of water into the dams is more than 20 percent higher. They also pointed out that the Punjab government has failed to clean rivers and drains on time and has not maintained the embankments properly.
Current Situation of Dams
At present, Pong, Ranjit Sagar, and Bhakra dams are all at the danger mark. The inflow of water into Pong Dam has broken past records. On Friday alone, the inflow crossed 1,05,000 cusecs, and the same amount had to be released from the floodgates. Similarly, in Bhakra Dam, four floodgates were opened for the second continuous day, releasing 85,000 cusecs of water for 14 hours. Even after this release, the water level in the reservoir dropped only by 0.31 feet.
Ranjit Sagar Dam’s level on Friday was 526.39 meters, compared to 501.61 meters on the same day last year. The dam is now just 0.039 meters below the danger mark. On the same day, the inflow was 49,025 cusecs, while 70,657 cusecs was released from its gates.
Heavy Rain Prediction
The Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rain from September 6 to 8 in Punjab and the hilly areas of North India. If this happens, the water inflow into the dams will increase sharply. Dams may not be able to store the excess water, and authorities will be forced to release it. This situation can cause serious floods in the plains of Punjab.