Chandigarh, Sept 6: The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has maintained outflows of about 70,000 cusecs from the Bhakra Dam as part of efforts to regulate reservoir levels amid heavy monsoon inflows. Officials said the measure was aimed at lowering the water level to a safer mark in case fresh rains strike in September.
As of Saturday morning, the Bhakra reservoir stood at 1,678.14 feet—around two feet below its full storage capacity of 1,680 feet. “We will continue releasing close to 70,000 cusecs until the level comes down to 1,677 feet,” a BBMB source noted. “Keeping the dam at least three feet below the peak gives us a cushion if rains return.”
Of the total outflow, roughly 55,000 cusecs is being released into the natural Sutlej basin, while another 15,000 cusecs is diverted into the Nangal hydel and Anandpur Sahib hydel canals from Nangal Dam. Despite the reduction in direct discharge into the Sutlej, low-lying Bela villages in Ropar district remain cut off from the mainland. District authorities and volunteers are assisting stranded residents with relief and transportation.
Meanwhile, the situation at Pong Dam remains tense. The reservoir is currently at 1,394.67 feet—over four and a half feet above its designed storage level of 1,390 feet. Inflows from the Beas river measured 98,418 cusecs on Saturday, only marginally lower than the 105,950 cusecs recorded a day earlier. Outflows, however, remained steady at 99,673 cusecs.
“Communities along the Beas in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh should expect little immediate relief,” officials mentioned, adding that high releases will continue until Pong’s level can be reduced closer to the safe mark of 1,390 feet.
For Punjab, there is a modest silver lining. Inflows into Bhakra Dam have eased to 62,481 cusecs, offering some respite to downstream areas even as Pong continues to exert pressure on the Beas basin.
The BBMB said its strategy for the coming days would focus on balancing inflows and outflows while ensuring reservoir safety. “Our priority is to keep dam levels within manageable limits while minimizing disruption to people downstream,” one official stated.
