SHIMLA: Residents of low-lying areas in the northern Indians states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab will be heaving sighs of relief after knowing that the plan to release excess water from the Pong dam on the Beas river in Kangra district has been deferred till Wednesday morning, according to reports.
However, excess water from the Pandoh dam in Mandi district were released on Tuesday morning, a Central Water Commission official said.
The release has been deferred considering the reduced inflows and the weather forecast of subdued rain activity in the catchment area, a Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) official said.
The decision has been taken despite the fact that the water level in the dam reached 1,389.44 feet soon after noon against the danger level of 1,390 feet, the official said.
Earlier, the BBMB authorities had decided to release 49,000 cusecs of water from the dam on Tuesday afternoon as the water level in the dam was nearing the danger mark, he added.
Meanwhile, a group of 50 trekkers, including 35 students of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Roorkee, were rescued from the rain-hit Lahaul-Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday.
The trekkers, who were cut-off since September 19, have been rescued by the District Disaster Management Authority.
The Indian Air Force also rescued two German nationals from Pingdom La area of the district. They were caught in the blizzard for the past two days. The IAF launched an operation at 6am on Tuesday (September 25) and rescued them within the hour.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur asserted that over 300 people are being rescued from different locations including, Kyelang, Sissu and Koksar region and brought to safer locations. They were rescued by the local rescue teams of Lahual Spiti district's administration, which included special mountaineering teams, police, home guards and locals.
Chief Minister Thakur said that he has spoken to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who assured him of help. IAF and Army helicopters have been deputed in the region, and the rescue operation is underway.
The state has been experiencing extreme weather conditions since September 23. Incessant rains and flash floods have disrupted the day-to-day lives of people, with roads being blocked and vehicles being damaged.