CHANDIGARH: The water level at the Gobind Sagar reservoir of the Bhakra Dam on Tuesday was recorded at 1,493.67 feet, which is 55 feet less than the level recorded last year. The Pong Dam’s water level was 1286.55 feet, which was also a little less as compared to the same day last year, due to reduction in snow cover.
While the outflow at Bhakra was 19,347 cusecs and inflow was 14,426 cusecs, at Pong the situation was the same with 1,012 cusecs inflow and 5,005 cusecs outflow. Both reservoirs are filled by melting snow water and rain.
While Bhakra gets filled from May-end till September-end, Pong dam starts filling from June end. “There has been an overall reduction in the area under seasonal snow cover during the winters of 2017-18 in comparison to the area during 2010-16,” said Kunal Satyarthi, member secretary, Himachal Pradesh State Council for Science Technology and Environment’s Centre for Climatic Change.
However, officials said they were informed by IMD in New Delhi that in the coming days the inflow will increase as good rains are expected this monsoon season. Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan get water from the Bhakra and Pong dams and water requirement during June increases as it is the sowing season for paddy crop.
Notably, water inflow at the Bhakra dam has been lesser because of decrease in snow melting due to low temperatures in the upper Himalayas.