Sambalpur: To control the rising water level of Hirakud Dam in Odisha’s Sambalpur, the authorities on Tuesday opened four more sluice gates of the reservoir to release excess floodwater, taking the total to 12 (Left-8, Right-4).
The water level of the reservoir stood at 614.04 cubic feet at 9 am against its water holding capacity of 630 cubic feet. The current inflow of water into the dam is 1,50,799 cusecs while the outflow is 1,58,825 cusecs, sources said.
The season’s first floodwater was released from the reservoir through five gates, including three on the left spillway and two on the right, on Sunday. Three more gates were opened on Monday following an increase in rainfall in the upper catchment and subsequent rise in the water level of the dam.
Chief engineer of Upper Mahanadi Basin Ananda Chandra Sahoo had earlier told the media that the target was to maintain the water level at 605 ft by July 31.
Notably, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light/moderate fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with isolated heavy rainfall in Chhattisgarh from July 25-29. Isolated very heavy rainfall is also likely over Chhattisgarh on July 26 and 27, it added.
In the last 24 hours, the state’s average rainfall was recorded at 6.4 mm. The highest rainfall of 74.0 mm was recorded in Kotpad block of Koraput district. With the low pressure over westcentral & adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal off north Andhra Pradesh-south Odisha coasts becoming well marked over the same region with chances of intensifying into a depression in next 24 hour, the MeT office has issued orange and yellow warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall in some districts for two days.
