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Cloud burst, Flood/ Flash Flood

Cloud burst, Flood/ Flash Flood

Most of the part of district Kangra is hilly and it is prone to cloud burst and may lead to flash floods in local water channel during rainy season.The flash floods are events that are sudden, severe and short lived. It is a sudden and often destructive surge of water down a narrow channel or sloping ground, usually caused by heavy rainfall. Flash-floods are mostly the result of cloudbursts or blockage of river channel due to landslides Main affected tehsils are Palampur, Baijnath, upper region of Shahpur, Multhan and upper part of Dharamshala etc. One of the other possible reason for the Flash flood is due to Dam burst caused by Earthquake or Landslide.The risk of cloudburst in the higher region occurred in 2009 causing life loss of 2 women and 1 injury recently.Flood mainly occurs due to over-topping of rivers, heavy rainfall, melting of snow and bank erosion because of steep slopes of river. The flood problem in the state is mainly during the months of June to August when the south west monsoon is in progress and snow is melting in the higher reaches. Floods are one of the worst disasters of the district that not only causes huge economic loss in the form of damage to houses, public utilities, and property but also many human lives and cattle heads are also lost. Almost all rivulets of the district carry heavy discharge during the monsoon when their catchments receive intense and heavy rainfall.Pong dam also prone to flood during rainy season. Major Tehsils wrap by Pong dam are Fatehpur, Jawali, Indora and Jaswan Kotla.

River Beas and its tributaries constitute the main drainage system in Kangra district except for the extreme north-eastern part in Bara Bhangal area where it forms a part of the river, Ravi. Generally, the drainage system is marked by structural and slope conditions. The Beas River enters the district near village Harsi from the east and flows towards the west before it leaves Kangra (and Himachal Pradesh) at Mirthal in Punjab.

The major southernly flowing tributaries are Neugal, Awa, Binnu, Baner, Naker, Gaj and Deharkhads. All these khadsbeing snowfed are perennial. Northernly flowing streams are ephemeral. The variouskhads/streams and their catchment areas are given in below Table. Banganga, Dehar, Neogaland Awa originate from high Dhauladhar ranges in the north. Banganga, Gaj, Dehar, Bohl and NandKhads join the Pong reservoir directly, while Neugal and Awa join the Beas River in the upstream of Nadaun. These khads have deep valleys in the hilly area. The valleys are wide in the Kangra valley region where the slope/gradient of the rivers is gentle. The course of these rivers is structurally controlled and flow are being utilized both for irrigation and power generations. The water of these rivers is also used for irrigation by diverting its flows through kuhls (gravity channels). The northerly flowing tributaries ‘choes’ are ephemeral and have flash floods during the monsoons. The width of these stream channels varies from less than a kilometre to more than 2 km. The channel areas are generally devoid of vegetation. The important khads are Pragpur, Nalsuha, Chanour and Dada Siba.

Main Tributaries of Beas River in Kangra District

SN

Name of River/ Khad

Catchment Area (sq km)

Remarks

1

Binno

-

Joins Beas river

2

Buhl khad

104

Pong Dam

3

Nandkhad

39

Joins directly

4

Deharkhad

477

Pong Dam

5

Gajkhad

616

Pong Dam

6

Bunnerkhad

782

Pong Dam

7

Polakhad

47

Pong Dam

8

Nakerkhad

184

Joins Beas river

9

Neogalkhad

Joins Beas river

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