Himachal Pradesh: Alert sounded as Malana dam gate malfunctions in Kullu

Panic gripped the village of Malana on Tuesday when water from the 86-megawatt Malana Hydro Power Project dam in the Kullu district started overflowing due to the malfunctioning of its gates, an official said.

According to Deputy Commissioner Kullu Ashutosh Garg, in view of the accumulation of water and silt in the Malana dam, an alert was sounded as soon as the administration received information about the flooding of the water level in River Parvati due to the gate block of Malana Hydro Power Stage-two Dam.

"In village Malana of Manikarna Valley of Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, Malana Hydro Power Project Stage-two started to overflow due to the gate block of the dam. In such a situation, in view of the possibility of a dam burst, an alert has been issued to the residential areas and many residential areas have been evacuated along the banks of the Parvati River," said Deputy Commissioner Kullu Ashutosh Garg.

URGENT ALERT 
Malana stage 2 Dam gate malfunction causing water overflow into Parvati River. STAY AWAY for safety! Authorities are on it.Village residents, AVOID the river vicinity. PLEASE SHARE to spread awareness. Safety must be our priority#Malana2Dam#SafetyFirst pic.twitter.com/kMCbp3Jd6f

— Information And Public Relations Department, HP (@dprhp) July 24, 2023

Garg further said that the dam management has been instructed to take all necessary precautions to prevent further escalation of the crisis. 

He added that the water level in the dam was below the danger limit at 30 cusecs, so there was no cause for alarm.

"The amount of water in the dam is 30 cusecs, so there is nothing to panic about. In view of the possibility of a dam burst, the people of the downstream area have been evacuated," he said.

The Kullu Deputy Commissioner also stated that the Power Project Authority has been instructed to operate the gate soon so that there is no loss of life or property.

Weather experts have issued a new weather warning for Himachal Pradesh as the hill state continues to suffer from unrelenting monsoon rainfall.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday issued an orange alert for Himachal Pradesh and predicted heavy rainfall in the state for three days from July 26 to 28.

"The rains will continue for at least one week. The intensity of rain will reduce on July 24 and 25 but there will be heavy rainfall on July 26, 27 and 28. We have issued an orange alert," Surender Paul, Head IMD HP said.

"The alert will be for Shimla, Sirmaur, Solan, Mandi, Kullu, Kangra and Chamba. These districts will be receiving heavy rainfall. The rain will continue but there will not be much rain during the next 48 hours. We have been issuing alerts through disaster management authority," Paul added further.

The IMD is also expecting that old records of rain may break during the present monsoon. The IMD has issued flash flood, fog, and landslide advisory.

"We will assess the rain data of 100 years but the 24-hour rain data has broken the old records of rain. By the end of the month, we shall assess the total data. There are possibilities of landslides, flash floods and fog especially in the districts of Shimla and Mandi region on the National Highway," he added.

Earlier, amid the rain warning issued by the Indian Meteorological Department for the Chamba district, the District Disaster Management Authority issued an advisory for the citizens.

1. Avoid visiting hilly areas and places prone to landslides and heavy rainfall.

2. Avoid trekking amid inclement weather.

3. In case of lightning strikes, it is safe to stay indoors for a minimum next 30 minutes.

4. Do not visit river areas.

5. Pay attention to the warnings issued by the weather department.

6. Request Gram Panchayat Chieves, private organisations, tourists, and trekkers to spread the word.

"Notably, a total of 154 people have lost their lives due to the onset of the monsoon in the state since June 24, an official statement said on Saturday.