Pong Dam : Release Of a Substantial Amount Of Water
Several villages within the Beas River catchment area in Punjab have been submerged following the release of a substantial amount of water from the Pong Dam.
- Pong Dam also known as the Beas Dam, is an earth-fill embankment dam on the Beas River in the state of Himachal Pradesh.
- The purpose of the dam is water storage for irrigation and hydroelectric power generation.
- The construction of the dam began in the year 1961 and was completed in 1974 and at that time was known as the tallest of its type in the country.
- The raised water level thus invariably created an artificial lake called the Maharana Pratap Sagar, after the great ruler of Mewar. The lake became a renowned bird sanctuary for birds of numerous species including Bar-headed Goose and the Red-necked Grebe.
- The Pong Dam is a 133 m tall and 1,951 m long earth-fill embankment dam with a gravel shell.
- The dam is 13.72 m wide at its crest, which sits at an elevation of about 435.86 m above sea level.
- The base of the Pong Dam is about 610 m wide and has a total volume of 35,500,000 metre cube.
