Samablpur: Authorities at Hirakud Dam in Odisha’s Sambalpur district opened 10 additional sluice gates on Friday to manage a sharp rise in the reservoir’s water level triggered by heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas of the Mahanadi basin.
Floodwater is now being discharged through a total of 12 gates, up from the two that had been operating earlier.
As of early Friday morning, the reservoir level stood at 623.52 feet against its full storage capacity of 630 feet amid continued inflows. The dam was receiving approximately 369,322 cusecs of water per second, while about 65,543 cusecs were being released downstream.
The controlled release is expected to elevate water levels in the Mahanadi River further downstream. At 11 am, the river gauge at Naraj in Kataka district recorded 26.48 metres, slightly above the danger mark of 26.41 metres. Floodwater inflow at Mundali Barrage declined from about 888,000 cusecs late Thursday night to roughly 865,000–869,000 cusecs on Friday morning. Flows stood at approximately 445,000 cusecs at Naraj Barrage and 460,000 cusecs at Jobra Barrage.
Officials have urged residents in low-lying areas to remain vigilant.
Chief Engineer of Hirakud Dam Sanjay Kumar Choudhary said the gates are being operated with careful attention to conditions in vulnerable zones. Around eight lakh cusecs of water is currently passing through Mundali, a volume that is anticipated to ease gradually. A flow of up to 10 lakh cusecs is regarded as a flood situation.
The India Meteorological Department has forecast no significant rainfall until August 4. Authorities will review the need to open more gates after 2 pm based on the evolving situation.
