Water released from HP's Pandoh Dam after increase in level due to rain

Water is being released from HP's Pandoh Dam after an increase in its level due to unseasonal rain, officials said, warning people not to go near the Beas river in Mandi, Hamirpur and Kangra districts

Water is being released from Himachal Pradesh's Pandoh Dam after an increase in its level due to unseasonal rain, officials said on Friday, warning people not to go near the Beas river in Mandi, Hamirpur and Kangra districts.

The warning was issued by the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) and it has informed the administrations of the three districts about it, a spokesperson said here.

The state received 92.1 mm rains in the month of May this year, an excess of 70 per cent, against the normal rainfall of 54.3 mm from May 1 to May 26, according to officials.

Melting of snow has also contributed to increase in the water level in the dam. A study by the State Centre on Climate Change on variation in snow cover showed that in April 2023, the area under snow cover in the Beas basin was 39 per cent as compared to 51 percent in 2022.

The study also said seasonal snow cover of Chenab, Beas, Ravi and Satluj River basins in Himachal Pradesh has declined by 10 per cent in 2022-23 compared to 2021-22.

The Pandoh Lake is created by the dam and is located about 19 kilometres upstream from Mandi town on the Beas river.