Four Bhakra floodgates opened, BBMB authorities allay fears

Four Bhakra floodgates opened, BBMB authorities allay fears

Chandigarh:  Though the Himachal police have issued an alert to people living downstream of Bhakra Dam after the floodgates of the dam were opened on Sunday, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) authorities have allayed any cause of concern.

The BBMB authorities on Sunday opened up four floodgates of Bhakra Dam by two feet. The authorities said that the floodgates have been opened as inflows in dam remained high and there were projections of more rains in the coming days.

Though the floodgates were opened, the Bhakra Dam reservoir level was 6 feet below the optimum level of 1680 feet. The Bhakra Dam level was at 1674 feet. The inflows in the dam were about 76549 feet where as the outflows were 41816 feet. An official of the BBMB on condition of anonymity said that there was no cause of concern in the areas on the banks of Sutlej as inflows in natural course of Sutlej were at 27500 cusecs where as the rest of water was released in Bhakra canal.

The authorities also said that increased inflows in Sutlej are unlikely to affect Himachal areas.