18 August 2011 |

Spillage at Pong dam: Water power mismanagement by BBMB

V K Gupta

BBMB resorted to water conservation from April to June instead of increasing generation during this period. Now BBMB is releasing water through flood gates though there is still good margins to increase water level.

THE WATER power mismanagement by Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has led to the spillage of water at Pong Dam, said Padamjit Singh Chairman All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF).

BBMB failed to step up generation during the period April to June this year despite the fact that water level in Pong Dam was already on higher side at 1345 feet on April 1 this year. The mistakes of last year was again repeated when BBMB adopted a policy of conserving water at the Pong dam by keeping power generation at a low level of 19 per cent of capacity during the period April to August, 2010. The water was conserved during the period April to August by keeping power generation low which directly resulted in spillage during September.

This year too same faulty strategy was adopted by BBMB. Instead of stepping up the generation to deplete the reservoir during the period April to June, 2011, BBMB repeated the mistake of 2010 by keeping Pong generation at a low level of 43 per cent of capacity during April-July with the result that the water level was 1361 feet on August 1. The filling limit being 1,400 feet, the margin available was just 39 feet. Due to heavy rain in the catchment areas one flood occurred on August 9 this year raising water level e by 3.5 feet.

A second flood occurred on August 13 with inflow of over 2 lakh cusecs causing the level to rise by 6 feet in one day and the reservoir level crossed 1378 feet and next day it had further increased to 1,382 feet. Despite the fact that there was still a cushion of 18 feet storage up to 1400 feet, the spill way gates were opened on the afternoon of August 14.

Today water level in Pong Dam is 1,387 feet with inflow of over 1.5 lakh cusecs and discharge of over 50,000 cusecs. The opening of flood gates could have been avoided had BBMB not repeated the mistake of over conservation strategy of 2010 in 2011. At present inflows has been reduced and spillage at 42,000 cusecs water level has started receding.

Padamjit Singh has suggested to BBMB authorities today that In case of Pong dam with dependable inflows and no spillage, level would increase to 1,391.
45 on 10th September. With mean inflows, the level would rise to 1,402.23 on 10th September. He suggested that water level be kept at 1,395 feet on August31 1,397 feet on September 10 and 1,398 at the end of filling session.
Thankfully, BBMB allowed maximum generation at its power houses at Bhakra though two units were under maintenance. Today’s Bhakra reservoir level is 1662.42 feet with inflow of over 90,000 cusecs and discharge of 25,610 cusecs. Under such circumstances, for Bhakra, taking dependable inflows and releases at 30,000 Cusecs, the level would increase to 1677.77 feet on September 10.

With mean inflows, the level would rise to 1,685.28 on 20th September. There is a strong ground for Bhakra generation to be increased with releases of 30,000 or higher. Further, the BBMB authorities should be prepared to allow filling up to 1,685.
merinews.com