Floodgates opened at 10 reservoirs as heavy rain raises river levels

Ranchi: Heavy rain triggered by a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal has pushed water levels in 10 of Jharkhand’s 62 reservoirs to their maximum thresholds, prompting authorities to open floodgates and regulate the inflow.Three of the reservoirs are in Gumla and three in Simdega, while Ranchi, West Singhbhum, Pakur and Lohardaga have one each.“Our teams are keeping a close watch on water levels at all reservoirs. Regulatory measures are being taken wherever the water approaches the maximum threshold, and locals in these areas have been alerted,” said Moti Lal Pingua, engineer-in-chief, water resources department.In Ranchi, one gate of Gonda dam has been open since Thursday after the water level crossed its maximum threshold of 2,128 feet. Rajesh Ranjan, executive engineer of the drinking water and sanitation department at Gonda dam, said the gate was opened to balance the inflow and outflow.“As of now, only one gate has been opened. If required, more gates will be opened,” he said.Two gates of Getalsud reservoir were opened as a precaution on Saturday morning after the water level reached 1,934.03 ft, against its maximum capacity of 1,936 ft. Hatia dam’s water level stood at 2,198.6 ft, just below its limit of 2,200 ft. No gates have been opened there so far.The reservoirs that crossed their capacity in Gumla are Paras, Dhansingtoli and Tapkara. In Simdega, the affected reservoirs are Larwa, Kansjor and Ramrekha. The others are Nandani in Lohardaga, Torlo in West Singhbhum and Suryodi in Pakur.Among the major rivers, Kharkai in Jamshedpur rose to 129.12 metres near Adityapur bridge, crossing its danger mark of 129 m. Subarnarekha reached 120.4 m near Mango bridge, close to its danger level of 121.5 m. Ajay and Sone rivers also recorded a rise but remained below their respective danger marks.Stay updated with the latest Ranchi news. Download the TOI App.