Government Monitors Heavy Rainfall and Floodwater Release, Puts 20 Districts on Alert as New Weather System Predicted
On Sunday, the state government issued an alert for seven districts as heavy rains in the upper catchment area led Hirakud Dam authorities to open 20 gates to release floodwater. Currently, water is being discharged through 20 sluice gates, with 14 gates on the left spillway and six on the right spillway. As a result, water discharge at Khairmal is projected to reach 4.50 lakh cusecs by Monday morning, while the flow at Mundali is expected to hit 5 lakh cusecs by Tuesday.
Special Relief Commissioner Satyabrata Sahu has instructed the collectors of Sambalpur, Sonepur, Nayagarh, Puri, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, and Kendrapara districts to remain vigilant. He also urged residents to avoid entering the Mahanadi river and emphasized that collectors should closely monitor the situation.
On the same day, the water inflow at the Hirakud reservoir was 2.9 lakh cusecs, with an outflow of over 2.50 lakh cusecs. The dam's water level has been rising due to heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas over the past few days. Chief Engineer of the Upper Mahanadi Basin, Sushil Kumar Behera, reported that approximately three lakh cusecs of water are currently being released through the 20 gates.
“Further flood management measures will be determined based on the water level, rainfall in the upper catchment, probable inflow into the reservoir and downstream conditions,” he stated!
The Water Resources department has stated that there is currently no flood threat in Odisha. “The peak floodwater will pass through Khairmal on Monday and Mundali a day later. The river bed is empty and there is no risk until the water flow is about 9 lakh cusec,” mentioned by an officer of the department.
The government is closely monitoring the situation as a new weather system is predicted to form on July 31. This system is expected to bring heavy rainfall to many parts of the state over the next four days.
Meanwhile, the recent heavy showers have reduced the state's rainfall deficit, which now stands at (-) 8 percent between June 1 and July 28.
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