Alert sounded after water level rises in Sutlej

He said the situation was under control at present and the water was flowing much below the danger level (931 metres from the sea level).

According to information with the DC office,the water level in Rampur was recorded at 922.80 metres on Tuesday,as compared to 921.75 metres on Monday. “In 2005,the water level had crossed the 933-metre mark and caused heavy destruction in the region,” said Rana.

Rampur Sub-Divisional Magistrate Rajiv Kumar held a meeting with officials of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police,the Indian Army,Sashastra Seema Bal and the district administration on Tuesday to review the preparedness in case the rainfall continues and water level rises further.

The meteorological department has forecast rainfall across the state in the next few days.

Kullu Deputy Commissioner B M Nanta said the water level in Beas was under control till now and the SDM of Anni was continuously monitoring the situation.

Nathpa-Jhakri power plant shut again
The 1,500 mega watt Nathpa-Jhakri project,country’s largest hydropower plant in Himachal Pradesh,has been shut down temporarily following heavy silt inflow in the Sutlej water because of continuous rains and flashfloods .This has resulted in a major shortfall in the power supply to northern states,including Delhi. An official of the Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam said silt content in the water was more than 14,000 ppm (part per million) on Monday against the permissible limit of 4,000 and 5,000 ppm. Earlier,the plant was closed for a day on June 24 and July 19. The SJVNL,a joint venture between the Centre and the state government,supplies power to Punjab,Haryana,Chandigarh,Himachal,Delhi,Jammu and Kashmir,Rajasthan,Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The halt in power generation is causing a daily loss of Rs 9 crore.