Northern dams brimming, states alerted
The Bhakra-Beas Management Board has sounded its intent to increase the discharge of water following continuing rainfall leading to unacceptably high levels in its reservoirs.
While BBMB authorities are slated to meet representatives from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi on Thursday, the board has already begun a phased release of additional water from the Bhakra reservoir into the River Sutlej. Officials said the water level had been steadily rising to the maximum permissible level of 1680 feet.
Water in the Gobind Sagar reservoir along the Sutlej has been rising by nearly three feet per day and the Pong Dam on River Beas has been going up by over a foot. Though the BBMB has assured that the additional water would only be released in stages to avoid any downstream flooding, state authorities in Punjab have exercised abundant caution in sounding and alert in districts along the Sutlej.
And amidst the renewed threat of floods Union minister of state for home affairs Mullappally Ramachandran informed Parliament that the cumulative flood damage in the food grain producing states of Punjab and Haryana already stood at 2.87 lakh hectares of cropped area apart from the loss of 58 human lives and 134 heads of cattle. As many as 6546 homes have also been damaged across the two states. The minister said both states had adequate calamity relief funds available. The unspent balance available with Punjab was Rs 2197.20 crores while Haryana had Rs 1127.96 crores. The first installment of the central share of the State Disaster Response Fund — Rs 82.595 crores for Punjab and Rs 72.34 crores to Haryana — has also been released.
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