Bhubaneswar: As most of the major rivers in Odisha are nor flowing below the danger mark, the government on Saturday stated that there is no flood-like situation in the state at present.
As per the Water Resources Department, except Jalaka river, all major rivers are now flowing below the danger mark. Jalaka river which had briefly crossed the danger level in Balasore, has started receding.
Engineer-in-Chief of the Water Resources Department, Chandra Sekhar Padhi said rivers such as the Budhabalanga and Baitarani — which often pose flood threats during heavy monsoon spells — are currently stable and being closely monitored.
“The overall situation in the state is well under control and there is no cause for alarm at present,” he assured.
Moreover, no significant rainfall has been forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for the next seven days, which is expected to help the situation improve even further. With no forecast of major rainfall, water levels are likely to continue falling across all river systems, he said.
Referring to Mahanadi River, Padhi said the water level at the Hirakud reservoir was recorded at 626.35 feet at 9 am on Saturday. Following drop in inflow, officials have closed four gates, while water is currently being discharged through 20 operational gates of the dam.
While the reservoir is receiving 3.85 lakh cusecs of inflow, 4.24 lakh cusecs are being released downstream. This controlled discharge is part of standard flood management protocol, Padhi said.
Around 5.50 lakh cusecs of water are expected to pass through by 6 pm at Mundali in Cuttack district on Sunday and there is no cause for concern as this is within manageable limits.
The Water Resources Department has put all vulnerable points under surveillance and activated field-level staff to monitor river embankments and reservoirs across the state.
