PAC warns of rising water levels at Bhakra, Pong dams
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Bathinda: Pro-environment group Public Action Committee (PAC) has sent an urgent letter to Jal Shakti Ministry and Punjab government, warning that water levels at Bhakra and Pong dams are nearing critical thresholds.
There is a high risk of downstream flooding within a few days, PAC members Jaskirat Singh, Amandeep Singh Bains, Kapil Arora, Kuldeep Singh Khaira, and others claimed.
PAC is calling for precautionary measures to avoid repeating the mistakes that led to the devastating floods in Punjab in 2023. This flooding was due to operational decisions regarding the controlled release of water, which, in conjunction with heavy inflow in Bhakra and Pong Dam, led to sudden large releases.
Mails have also been sent to chairman BBMB, chief secretary Punjab, chief engineer dam safety, BBMB to make available the information relating to maximum anticipated inflows and outflows, including flood warnings and any adverse impact on persons and property towards the upstream or downstream of the dam.
They said the inflow and storage level in both dams have been rising for the last few days due to heavy rains in the higher reaches and the catchment area.
However, the present release of water from the dams is far below safe capacity, creating a storage build-up risk and threat of a flood-like situation in Punjab.
During the 2003 flooding, a Red Alert for many days by the meteorological department and continuous heavy inflow in both reservoirs, the outflow was restricted for several days. The sudden releases of 84,000 cusecs from Bhakra Dam and 142,000 cusecs from Pong Dam on August 16, 2023, and 79,000 cusecs, 130,000 cusecs on August 17, 2023, without prior gradual drawdown, resulted in severe flooding in Punjab.
The PAC members also mentioned that after raising the issue of restricted flow till Aug 15, 2023, the data of inflow and outflow was kept hidden from the public at large, which is wrong as per sections 25 to 36 of the Dam Safety Act. These sections require emergency action plans, gradual releases, and information sharing to protect downstream life and property. This communication is being preserved for any necessary legal proceedings to ensure accountability, they said.
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