Pathankot: Heavy rainfall in the adjoining hill district of Himachal Pradesh has led to a rise in the water level of the Ranjit Sagar Dam reservoir over the past 24 hours, though officials said the reservoir remains well below the danger mark. Chief Engineer of the Ranjit Sagar Dam project, Vijay Garg, said on Wednesday that the active monsoon and continuous rainfall in the catchment areas have significantly increased inflows into the reservoir. The water level has risen to 504 feet against the danger mark of 528 feet, leaving a comfortable safety margin. Garg said the increase was primarily due to heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh and the release of water from the Chamera Hydroelectric Project in Chamba district. He added that the combined inflow from the upper catchment and the Chamera project had raised the reservoir level by around two metres during the last 24 hours.Despite the increase, Garg assured that the reservoir is still well below the danger level and there is no cause for concern at present. Authorities are, however, closely monitoring the inflow as rainfall continues across the upper catchment areas. However, he noted that the water level is still below the corresponding level recorded during the same period last year, and the reservoir remains well below the danger mark.Garg said the rise in the reservoir’s water level was also partly attributed to water releases from the Sewa-II Hydroelectric Power Station, located in the Mashka area of Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir. The Border Security Force (BSF) sources said on Wednesday that the Jalaliya River, flowing through the highly sensitive Bamiyal sector along the India-Pakistan border in Pathankot district, has swollen following heavy rainfall in the catchment area, triggering flood-like conditions in several border villages. The rising water level has inundated vast stretches of agricultural land and reached key roads, disrupting normal life in the border belt. As a precautionary measure, the traffic on roads connecting Pathankot with Bamiyal is affected, leaving more than a dozen border villages temporarily cut off from the city.The heavy rains have also hampered access to several BSF border outposts, although security operations continue to be closely monitored. The surging waters have heightened concerns among farmers, who fear extensive damage not only to standing crops spread across hundreds of acres, but also to tube wells, irrigation pumps and costly solar power systems installed in their fields.Balwinder Singh , a local resident, recalled that the area witnessed severe flooding in August last year. However, he said the river had assumed a dangerous form much earlier this year, with floodwaters entering fields in July itself, raising fears of a prolonged monsoon spell. Farmers warned that if the water level continues to rise, the Jalaliya River could overflow into nearby residential areas, posing a serious threat to lives and property in the border villages.
