Pong Dam fills to capacity, Bhakra near full

The Pong Dam across River Beas in Himachal Pradesh has filled to its upper limit, and the Bhakra Dam across the Sutlej is just short of full, officials said Wednesday.

Both dams serve the irrigation requirements of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

The monsoon - the season when the dams fill up - normally ends in the last week of September every year.

"The water level in the Bhakra Dam's Gobind Sagar and the Pong Dam reservoir Wednesday stood at 1,677 feet and 1,390.11 feet, respectively," an official of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), which manages both the dams built on the Punjab-Himachal border, told IANS.

The water level in Pong Dam was 1,374 feet the same day last year.

The official data said the water level in Bhakra Dam was still three feet below the upper limit, while it has crossed the limit of 1,390 feet in Pong Dam reservoir.

Authorities said the water level was at a comfortable level, as the southwest monsoon has arrived well in advance and remained intensified in the region.

"The filling season of the two dams will likely end by Sep 20," an official said.

Official data said the maximum storage capacity is 1,702 feet for the Bhakra Dam, and 1,393 feet for the Pong Dam reservoir.

When water levels of the past five years are taken into consideration, 2009 saw the leanest period, with both dams filling to least levels.