Bhakra dam nears full capacity, Rupnagar administration issues flood alert

The Bhakra dam in Himachal Pradesh, one of north India’s largest reservoirs, has risen dangerously close to its maximum capacity of 1,680 feet, prompting the Rupnagar administration to issue a flood alert on Thursday. The water level stood at 1,678.97 feet in the morning following heavy rainfall in the catchment areas.

Officials confirmed the water inflow into the dam was 95,435 cusecs, while the outflow was 73,459 cusecs. By evening, the level touched 1,679 feet, raising concerns that the discharge may soon increase to between 80,000 and 85,000 cusecs.

The Pong dam on the Beas river has also crossed its limit. Its water level touched 1,394.51 feet, four feet above the upper limit of 1,390 feet. The inflow there was 1,32,595 cusecs against an outflow of 91,167 cusecs.

Rupnagar Deputy Commissioner Varjeet Singh Walia urged residents in low-lying areas near the Sutlej river, particularly in Nangal and Anandpur Sahib, to move to safer locations or seek shelter in relief camps set up by the district administration. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other agencies have been deployed to manage any emergency.

On Wednesday, Punjab Cabinet Minister Harjot Bains visited flood-affected villages in Sri Anandpur Sahib and supervised evacuation efforts. He appealed to residents living near the riverbanks to shift to safety without delay.

Meanwhile, the Patiala district administration has issued a similar warning for villages near the Ghaggar river in Patran, where heavy rainfall in upstream regions has raised water levels further.

Punjab is currently experiencing one of its most severe flood disasters in decades. Swollen rivers including the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi, along with seasonal rivulets from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, have inundated large parts of the state.

So far, the floods have claimed 37 lives and affected more than 3.55 lakh people. Standing crops across over 1.75 lakh hectares have been destroyed, inflicting massive economic losses on farmers.