Rains continue in Himachal, rivers in spate

The hills of Himachal Pradesh continued to experience moderate to heavy rains Wednesday and all the major rivers and their tributaries were in spate, officials said. There could be heavy to very heavy rainfall at some places in the state till Thursday, the Met office warned.

While Dharamshala town recorded the highest rainfall in the state at 111.4 mm till 8.30 a.m., it was 82 mm in Nahan, 62.6 mm in Palampur, 62 mm in Paonta Sahib, 45.9 mm in Sundernagar and 21.6 mm in Shimla.

A government spokesperson said the Satluj, Beas and Yamuna rivers and their tributaries were again in spate in Kinnaur, Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Bilaspur and Sirmaur districts.

These rivers enter Punjab and Haryana.

Authorities said excess water was discharged Tuesday from the Pong dam, located 250 km from the state capital, as a precautionary measure.

The dam's water level was at 1,375 feet Tuesday, an official of the Bhakra Beas Management Board said.

It can store water up to 1,395 feet against the danger mark of 1,390 feet.

The dam meets the irrigation requirements of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.