The water level in the Tehri reservoir has shot up by 33 metres due to the heavy downpour in the hill state, even as it is still 52 meters short of the maximum level, set by the central water commission. Even as the heavy rains spelt trouble for the entire state, the officials of Tehri Hydropower Development Corporation Limited (THDC) were happy.
“In a span of four months, the reservoir’s water level has increased by 33 meters, which is a steep rise in volume. We are filling the reservoir so that we can fulfil the power production, irrigation and drinking water commitments in non-monsoon months after October,” a THDC official, who is in-charge of the reservoir, said.
The Tehri dam is located in a narrow and deep gorge, at the confluence of the Bhagirathi and Bhilangna rivers, with imposing mountains on each side.
THDC officials said that the reservoir water level has reached 773 metres on Saturday and to rein in the water flow to Haridwar, the discharge of the dam has been set at 420 cubic metres per second as the Alaknanda River is in spate.