Water level in Pong dam reaches 1,390 feet

Hoshiarpur, Aug 26 (PTI) The water level in the Pong Dam reached its upper limit of 1,390 feet, following heavy rains in its catchment areas, officials said on Tuesday.

According to officials, the discharge of water into the Shah Nehar Barrage was around 79,500 cusecs on Tuesday evening, while the Beas river was carrying nearly 1.48 lakh cusecs in the Mukerian subdivision.

The Pong Dam's water level stood at 1,390.56 feet, with an inflow of about 2.33 lakh cusecs.

Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal said in Gurdaspur district that incessant rains in the plains and in the Himalayas have filled all dams to capacity.

The government's immediate priorities include protecting lives and property, minimising damage and delivering relief supplies to the affected populations, he said.

Water of the swollen Beas river again inundated farmlands and villages, including Motla, Haler Janardhan, Sanial, Kolian, and Mehtabpur in the Mukerian subdivision of the Hoshiarpur district.

Residents, who were relieved after the water receded on Monday, expressed worry about renewed flooding. In Kolian village, where water re-entered nearly 100 houses, residents were forced to evacuate again.

"About half of the villagers have shifted to safer places. Most of the crops in our fields have been destroyed, and floodwater rose to knee-deep level by afternoon," said David Masih, the husband of the village sarpanch.

Mukerian Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Ankur Mohindru said eight villages were affected by the floodwaters of the Beas. "At present, water is entering the villages in small quantities, but it is rising gradually," he said.

As a precautionary measure, about 60 residents of the Changarwan village near Talwara were shifted to a relief centre. The village lies close to the river, and water from the dam is expected to reach there quickly.

Displaced families were being provided food by the Red Cross Society with the support of Unnati Cooperative Society, Talwara.

Tanda SDM Parampreet Singh said the situation in the region was stable, except for Abdullapur, where water has entered homes. About 162 residents of Abdullapur, who earlier took shelter at a gurdwara in nearby Ibrahimpur, were shifted to the Government High School in Miani.

Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain said the administration was closely monitoring the water level at the Pong dam in coordination with the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) and the water resources department.

"The discharge is being regulated with technical precision," she said, adding that relief and rehabilitation operations were being carried out on a war footing.

She said breaches have been noticed at some points in Motla, Mehtabpur and Haler Janardhan villages of Mukerian subdivision following a sudden surge in the Chakki Khad -- a tributary of the Beas River -- on Monday.

Jain appealed to residents not to venture near the Beas river or adjoining low-lying areas. "The district administration is fully prepared to deal with any eventuality," she said.

Meanwhile, in view of the flood situation across Punjab, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Tuesday said it has established relief centres at various gurdwaras.

Sharing this information in Amritsar, SGPC secretary Partap Singh said they have instructed the managers of different gurdwaras to establish relief centres and extend help to those in need. PTI COR JMS CHS NSD NSD