Mahanadi Rising, Hirakud Dam To Open Floodwater Gates This Month

Sambalpur: Hirakud dam authorities on Tuesday reported a steady rise in the water level in the dam after heavy rainfall in the upper catchments of Mahanadi. Therefore, they have decided to release the first phase of floodwater in the last week of July.

Chief engineer of Hirakud Dam, Sunil Kumar Nayak said the water level of the dam has crossed 600 feet.

“The present water level of the dam has been recorded at 600.54 feet as against the optimum level of 630 feet. The reservoir is receiving 29,629 cusecs of water per second while 9,448 cusecs of water per second are released from the dam,” Nayak said.

When will the the first floodwater from the dam be released? Nayak said the decision will be taken after assessing the amount of rainfall in the upper catchments and the flood situation in the lower catchments.

“As the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy rainfall in the upper catchments for three days from July 9, we are closely monitoring the inflow of water to the reservoir. If the inflow of water increases, we will decide the number of gates to be opened to release the water. We are also monitoring the water level of Mahanadi at different gauge stations in the upper catchments,” the chief engineer informed.

Stating that the first floodwater of Mahanadi is released from the Hirakud dam in July, Nayak said the floodwater from the dam will be released most likely by the third or the fourth week of July.