Following continuous rainfall in the city and surrounding areas, the water level of Bhopal’s Upper Lake has reached its full tank capacity. On Saturday morning, Mayor Malti Rai, along with Municipal Corporation President Kishan Suryavanshi and Municipal Commissioner Harendra Narayan, performed a ceremony before opening gate number 6 of the Bhadbhada Dam. Approximately 102 million cubic feet (MCFT) of water was released, and the gate was closed at 6:40 pm.

 

The Upper Lake, often referred to as the lifeline of Bhopal, saw its water level rise to 1666.50 feet by Friday evening. Overnight, the level further increased to reach the full tank level (FTL) of 1666.80 feet on Saturday morning. At around 10:40 am, Mayor Rai sounded a siren to alert local residents before the gate was opened. Reports indicate that initially two gates were opened, but one was subsequently closed. The water released from the dam flows directly into the Kaliasot Dam, increasing the likelihood of its gates also being opened.

 

Water levels are also rising steadily at the Kerwa Dam. This marks only the second time in 23 years that the gates of the Bhadbhada Dam have been opened in September, the previous instance being in 2003. Last year, due to heavy monsoon rains, the gates were opened earlier, on August 2. This year, August was comparatively dry, which is why the gates of Upper Lake, Kaliasot, Kerwa, and Kolar dams had not been opened until now.

 

The Upper Lake primarily receives water from the Kolans River. Constructed in 1965, the Bhadbhada Dam has a total of 11 gates designed to manage surplus water. Data from previous years shows that in 2024, the gates were opened 10 times, releasing 4260 MCFT of water. In 2019, they were opened 25 times (4720 MCFT), in 2020, 11 times (4261 MCFT), in 2022, 17 times (8821 MCFT), and in 2023, only twice (286 MCFT) of water was released. Superintending Engineer Udit Garg, members of the Mayor-in-Council, BJP District President Ravindra Yati, and City Engineer Z A Khan, among other officials, were present during the gate-opening ceremony.

 

For safety, police have been deployed at the dam, and public access has been restricted. Despite the restrictions, several families gathered to witness the gates being opened. Municipal officials stated that the situation is being closely monitored as more rainfall is expected in the catchment area.