page_title: Maharana Pratap Sagar
section_title: Engineering features
hierarchical_section_title: Maharana Pratap Sagar / Hydrology and engineering features / Engineering features
caption_attribution_description: English: Fishing In dam
context_page_description: Maharana Pratap Sagar, in India, also known as Pong Reservoir or Pong Dam Lake was created in 1975, by building the highest earthfill dam in India on the Beas River in the wetland zone of the Siwalik Hills of the Kangra district of the state of Himachal Pradesh.
  Named in the honour of Maharana Pratap, the reservoir or the lake is a well-known wildlife sanctuary and one of the 27 international wetland sites declared in India by the Ramsar Convention.
  The reservoir covers an area of 24,529 hectares, and the wetlands portion is 15,662 hectares.
  The Pong Reservoir and Gobindsagar Reservoir are the two most important fishing reservoirs in the Himalayan foothills of Himachal Pradesh. These reservoirs are the leading sources of fish within the Himalayan states.
context_section_description: Subsequent to the partition of India, the waters of the Indus river system were allocated river wise, with certain stipulations, as per the Indus Water Treaty (1960), between India and Pakistan. India got exclusive use of the three eastern rivers (the Ravi, the Beas and the Satluj) and Pakistan got the exclusive use of the three western rivers (the Indus, the Jhelum and the Chenab). Following this treaty, India prepared a master plan to utilize the waters of 3 rivers which came to its share. and the Bhakra Dam was constructed across Satluj River. Then, the Beas River was tapped in two stages, with the Pong Dam forming the second stage development. Ravi River has also been developed through the Ranjit Sagar Dam Project or Thein Dam. All three river developments are multipurpose in nature involving irrigation, water supply and hydropower generation.
  The Beas Dam has been built on the Beas River as it enters the plains at Talwara, also called as another temple of modern India. It is an earth core gravel shell dam of 435 ft (132.6 m) height above the deepest foundation, and it is the highest earthfill dam in India. The reservoir or the lake has a storage capacity of 8,570 million cubic metres (303 billion cubic feet). The designed maximum flood discharge of 437,000 cu ft/s (12,400 m³/s)  is discharged through a gated chute spillway (pictured) located on the left abutment of the dam.
  The confirmed ruling features of the dam are detailed below:
  Top of dam - 436 m (1,430 ft)
  Normal reservoir level - 427 m (1,401 ft)
  Maximum reservoir level - 433 m (1,421 ft)
  Dead storage level - 384 m (1,260 ft)
  Gross storage capacity: 8,570,000,000 cubic metres (6,950,000 acre⋅ft)
  Live storage capacity: 7,290,000,000 cubic metres (5,910,000 acre⋅ft)
  Reservoir length: 41.8 km (26.0 mi)
  Maximum reservoir depth: 97.84 m (321.0 ft)
  The hydro-power plant located downstream, on the right side of the spillway structure, was initially planned for an installed capacity of 360 megawatts (480,000 hp), with six generating units: 6x60 megawatts (80,000 hp). This was later upgraded to 6x66 megawatts (89,000 hp), totalling a capacity of 396 megawatts (531,000 hp) as of 2012. Water from the reservoir is led into the power house through penstock pipes, each of 5.025-metre (16.5 ft) diameter.
  Reservoir operation is a crucial aspect since both Bhakra Dam and Pong Dam Projects necessitate their operation in an 'integrated manner' to achieve optimal benefits of irrigation and power. Water stored in the reservoir during the summer and rainy season, after meeting with the irrigation requirements of the partner states, is released in a regulated manner during lean periods, in a fixed schedule of Filling Period–Depletion Period for both the reservoirs. The filling and depletion period for
  the Bhakra reservoir is from 21 May to 20 September and 21 September to 20 May, and
  for Pong Dam reservoir, from 21 June to 20 and 21 September to 20 June respectively.
  A technical committee of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) authorizes the monthly releases appropriately honouring the requirements projected by the partner states. The operation manuals titled "Designer's Criteria for the Operation, Maintenance and Observation" for the Bhakra, Pong & Pando reservoirs, duly updated as required, provide the guiding rules for the efficient integrated operation of the reservoirs.
  The two reservoirs supply irrigation and drinking water to Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and Chandigarh. Himachal Pradesh is also provided with drinking water supply.
caption: Fishing in dam
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