“We had earlier decided to open 15 gates on Tuesday following the prediction of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) of a possible formation of a low pressure on July 29. With full moon day falling on July 28, the floodwater of Mahanadi cannot be discharged properly due to the swelling of the sea. Taking these into consideration, we had to open five more gates late in the night, ” said chief engineer of the Hirakud Dam Jyotirmaya Rath.
According to sources, the water level in the Hirakud reservoir was 616.31 feet by 6 am on Wednesday. While the inflow of floodwater to the reservoir was 1,11,612 cusecs per second, the outflow was 3,21,357 cusecs per second.
The inflow and discharge of floodwater at Mundali by 10 am was 2,65,800 cusecs per second.
In Naraj and Jobra, the discharge of floodwater was 1,35,048 cusecs and 1,33,948 cusecs per second.
With floodwater from the Hirakud Dam expected to flow into Mundali between 12 am and 1 pm on Wednesday, efforts are on to discharge as much floodwater into the sea through the three barrages.
While the Cuttack district administration has maintained that there is no threat of a flood situation, it has asked the people living near the river embankment areas to remain alert.
The administration has also kept the ODRAF and the NDRF teams ready to deal with any eventuality. To provide relief to the people, the administration has kept adequate stock of dry food and medicine in the blocks.
Meanwhile, people of 20 villages of three panchayats of Chandbali block in Bhadrak district are in a state of panic due to cracks in Baitarani embankment near Sathibakuda village.
Reports said three cracks of about 15 feet have appeared in the newly – constructed embankment.
There was a 100-metre breach in this embankment during the flood last year.
Official sources said that the water level of the Baitarani was flowing over the danger mark at Akhuapada near the Mathani Anicut.