The Bhakra Dam in Punjab is just one foot short of its maximum storage capacity of 1,680 feet, prompting the Rupnagar district administration to issue a high alert on Thursday, reported the PTI.
People living near the Sutlej River have been asked to move to safer areas.
According to officials, the water level in Bhakra dam reached 1,678.97 feet on Thursday morning due to recent heavy rainfall in the dam`s catchment areas. The water inflow was recorded at 95,435 cusecs, while the outflow stood at 73,459 cusecs, as per the PTI.
The Pong Dam, located on the Beas River, has already crossed its maximum capacity. Its water level is at 1,394.51 feet, which is four feet above its safe limit of 1,390 feet. Water inflow at Pong Dam was 1,32,595 cusecs, while outflow was 91,167 cusecs.
Rupnagar Deputy Commissioner Varjeet Singh Walia has appealed to residents of low-lying areas in villages near Nangal and Anandpur Sahib to move to relief camps or safer locations. He said that NDRF teams and other emergency agencies have been deployed to tackle any possible situation, according to the PTI.
The DC added that the water discharge from Bhakra Dam might be increased to 80,000–85,000 cusecs, depending on the weather and inflow conditions.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Punjab Cabinet Minister Harjot Bains visited flood-hit areas in Sri Anandpur Sahib and urged residents living near the Sutlej riverbanks to evacuate. He personally oversaw the rescue operations in over two dozen villages affected by the flood.
The Patiala district administration has also issued an alert for villages near the Ghaggar River in Patran, due to heavy rains in the upstream areas.
Punjab is currently experiencing one of its worst flood disasters in decades.
Swollen rivers — including the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi — along with seasonal streams, have caused widespread flooding due to intense rainfall in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Additional heavy rain within Punjab has worsened the situation. So far, 37 people have died, and over 3.55 lakh people have been affected. Crops on more than 1.75 lakh hectares of farmland have been damaged, according to officials.
