PATIALA: With incessant rainfall in the region for the past two days, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has decided to regulate the water of Ravi, Beas and Satluj rivers as a red alert has been issued.The BBMB has asked all its top functionaries to ensure that round-the-clock vigil is maintained. The board has decided to open the floodgates at Pong and Ranjit Sagar dams. Water level at Pong Dam was recorded at 1,385.12 feet on late Monday evening while on September 20, which is the end of the filing season, the water level was 1,376.71feet.The dam has maximum capacity of 1,395 feet and the authorities resort to opening all floodgates in case the water reaches above that.BBMB’s Talwara station sounded a flood alert for the areas of Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh along with the subdivisions of Fatehpur, Dehra Gopipur, Indora and Shahnehar division in Badukhar claiming that “due to high pattern of inflow in Pong reservoir and considering forecast of heavy rain in the Beas catchment area, extra water from Pong Dam can be released and all necessary steps be taken by all concerned to avoid any damage and loss of life and property in the downstream areas,” read the alert.Situation at the Ranjit Sagar Dam also called for regulatory measures and the board opened two gates to release extra water into Ravi. A warning was sounded to villagers in Dasuya, Tanda and Mukerian tehsils of Hoshiarpur district.Maximum reservoir level of Ranjit Sagar Dam is 526.65 metres while the current level was recorded at 525.69m on Monday evening just before the gates were opened. As per the protocol, the slip gates are opened when the water level reaches 527.91 m. Initially, only two to three spill gates are opened but if the water continues to flow in, all seven gates can also be opened to protect the dam structure.However, the situation at the Bhakra Dam was a little better. Chief engineer at the Bhakra Dam, Sanjeev Kumar Suri, said as on Monday the water level was recorded at 1,655.49 feet against 1,651.25 feet on September 20. He said the dam could still stock up plenty of water before the need to open the floodgates is felt. The dam can be filled up to its maximum storage capacity of 1,680 feet in a regulated manner.Meanwhile, BBMB chairman D K Sharma said the measures had to be taken to ensure the safety of all the dam structures they maintain.

Stay updated with all the Latest Ludhiana headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.