With many areas inundated in Punjab following the release of excess water from dams, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) on Wednesday said it would, over the next four or five days, release excess water in a controlled manner to bring the water in reservoirs to a safe level. Many villages and other areas in Hoshiarpur, Rupnagar and Gurdaspur districts were inundated following the release of excess water from the Bhakra and Pong dams, officials said. The Bhakra Dam on the Sutlej River and the Pong Dam on the Beas River—both in Himachal Pradesh—are brimming after heavy rains in their respective catchment areas.
Both dams are managed by the BBMB. BBMB secretary Satish Singla told reporters that excess water was released from the dams after the heavy inflow of water in the Bhakra and Pong reservoirs. The water levels in Bhakra and Pong dams stood at 1,677 feet and 1,398 feet respectively on Wednesday. The BBMP secretary said that Bhakra received an inflow of 1.93 lakh cusecs while Pong received over seven lakh cusecs over the past few days.