Two tourists swept away after water released from Kullu dam, probe begins

The district administration has initiated a judicial inquiry into the tragic incident of two tourists being swept away by the Parbati river near Kasol in the Manikaran valley on Thursday last. The tourists were swept away allegedly due to a sudden surge in the water level in the river after release from the Barshaini Dam, which is part of the NHPC’s Parbati Hydroelectric Project-II (PHEP-II) in Kullu. The flooding also left another tourist stranded in the river near Goj village, though he was rescued. Besides, the flooded river damaged machinery and disrupted ongoing flood protection work at Jari.

Kullu MLA Sunder Singh Thakur, who is also the chairman of Kullu SADA, had got an FIR registered against power project officials, accusing them of violating dam safety and disaster management regulations. He cited previous incidents, including one in 2023 when several houses and shops in the Sainj market were destroyed due to the alleged negligence of the NHPC. He vowed to hold officials accountable and said that repeated lapses would not be tolerated. The police have also registered an FIR for negligence and launched an investigation.

However, Executive Director, PHEP-II, Nirmal Singh defended the project saying that safety protocols were followed during the release of water from the dam.

He said that power generation was halted, as per the GRID instructions, and machines were shut. The discharge, he claimed, was conducted in phases to avoid a sudden rise in the water level. Warning boards had been placed at multiple locations between Barshaini and Bhuntar, particularly Kasol, he added.

In 2014, 24 engineering students from Hyderabad and a tour operator were washed away in the Beas due to the sudden release of water from the Largi Hydroelectric Project. On July 31, 2024, the Pin Parbati river in the Sainj valley was flooded when water was released from the Niharni Dam of the 100 MW Sainj Hydropower Project.

Himachal Tribune