Chandigarh, Jul 12 (PTI) No excess water shall be released from Bhakra and Pong dams till the situation in downstream areas of Punjab and Haryana normalises, the Bhakra Beas Management Board said on Wednesday.

This was stated after a special meeting of the Board's technical committee took stock of the situation in the BBMB dams and water-logging in the two states following torrential monsoon rains.

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Nand Lal Sharma, the chairman of BBMB, stressed that the situation is well under control and requested the people not to panic or believe in any kind of rumours.

He clarified that BBMB has not released any water over and above the water requirement of BBMB partner states during this period.

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The water level in Bhakra Dam on Wednesday was 1628.72 feet while that of Pong Dam was 1363.96 feet as against the full reservoir level of 1680 feet and 1,390 feet, respectively, the BBMB said.

After due deliberations, it was decided that no excess water shall be released from BBMB dams till the situation in the downstream areas of the two states normalises, it said.

Day-to-day coordination with the state authorities will be maintained in this regard and the matter will be reviewed after 3-4 days, said a BBMB statement.

It said that during the past few days torrential rains have caused a lot of devastation in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

"However, BBMB has successfully absorbed entire flood water that originated in the rivers Sutlej and Beas in its Bhakra and Pong Dams respectively," it said.

In Bhakra Dam, a staggering 1088 million cubic metres of water was absorbed and in Pong Dam, about 1530 million cubic metres of water was absorbed.

"These colossal volumes of water were stored within the reservoirs, preventing further escalation of floodwaters downstream. This effort has significantly reduced the fury of floods in the states of Punjab and Haryana," said Nand Lal Sharma, the chairman of BBMB.

He said that due to this extraordinary influx of water in the dams, the water level in Bhakra Dam has risen by 22.1 feet and in Pong Dam the level has risen by 25.09 feet in the past four days.

"However, the position of these reservoirs is still comfortable," he said.

He stated that the monsoon season has just started and will continue till the September end.

In order to be prepared for any such eventuality in the future, BBMB may have to increase releases from its dams in a controlled manner in the days to come.

In this regard, a communication has been sent to the authorities concerned through a letter dated July 11 to remain prepared.

However, appropriate action shall be taken in consultation with the Governments of Punjab and Haryana after the flood waters recede and the situation in the downstream areas of Punjab and Haryana normalises, the BBMB said.

Sharma said "fake videos and rumours" were circulating on social media groups regarding the release of water from Bhakra Dam during the recent floods.

He clarified that BBMB has not released any water over and above the water requirement of BBMB partner states during this period.

Neither any flood gates have been opened at Bhakra or Pong Dams nor any situation is envisaged in the near future, he said.

He stated that as the custodian of the Bhakra and Pong dams, BBMB has continuously strived to optimise the management of water resources, particularly during extreme weather events.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)