Bhakra Beas Management Board to release 22,300 cusec of water from Ponga Dam

The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) will release 22,300 cusec of water from Pong Dam in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district beginning Sunday afternoon.

The maximum possible release would be made through a turbine of Pong powerhouse in Kangra district while 4,377 cusec would be released through the spillway beginning 4 pm on Sunday (July 16), according to a notification issued by the senior design engineer, water regulation cell, BBMB.

The water level of the dam has reached 1,367.87 feet against storage capacity of 1,410 feet and it is a normal practice to release water, it added.

The deputy commissioner of Kangra, sub divisional officers (civil), irrigation, drainage and flood control authorities in the state have been informed and asked to take necessary precautions, the notification said.

The authorities have advised the people living along the banks of the Beas river to remain alert and take precautions and not to venture near the river.

Heavy rains had wreaked havoc in Himachal in the recent past triggering landslides, flash floods, damaging roads and infrastructure.

So far the state has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 4,357 crore since the onset of monsoon on June 24 and 111 people have died in rain-related and road accidents, according to the state emergency response centre.