The water level in the Bhakra dam crossed its permissible limit of 1,680 feet on Monday, prompting the authorities to increase the release of excess water through spillway gates to 41,000 cusecs, officials said.
"Water level in the Bhakra reservoir was 1,681 feet at 10 am on Monday against the permissible storage level of 1,680 feet," an official said.
The decision to raise the release of water through spillways was taken in order to bring down the water level in the reservoir to 1,680 feet in the next three-four days, an official of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) said.
"There is still water inflow of more than 1 lakh cusecs in the reservoir. Considering the present level of 1,681 feet and heavy inflows coming into the reservoir, it has been decided to increase the release through spillway of the Bhakra dam from 19,000 cusecs to 41,000 cusecs," the official said. "This release from spillway will be about 14 per cent of the total capacity of spillway."
In all the rivulets of Punjab having catchment area downstream of the Bhakra dam, there was heavy water inflow of around 2,00,000 cusecs, an official said. "It was due to heavy rainfall in Punjab areas and not due to any release (19,000 cusecs) of water from the Bhakra dam."