Bhubaneswar: Next 48 hours would be crucial for the people living in the areas under Mahanadi river system in Odisha, said Special Relief Commissioner PK Jena on Tuesday.
Briefing the media persons in Bhubaneswar, the SRC said the flood situation in Mahanadi will peak in next 48 hours as Mundali barrage in Cuttack will see the highest floodwater outflow of 11.5 cusec on Tuesday evening.
Stating that the flood situation that has emerged in Mahanadi basin following heavy rainfall in upper and lower catchment areas, he said as many as 10 districts have been put on high alert.
Flood impact is likely to be maximum in Puri, Kendrapada, Khurda and Jagatsinghpur districts due to heavy inflow of floodwater in the downstream of Mahanadi.
He further said the government will take a call on the opening of more gates of Hirakud Dam at 3 pm. At present, water is being discharged from 26 sluice gates after 8 gates were closed due to technical reasons on Monday.
A maximum 12.06 lakh cusec of floodwater passed Khairmal on Monday night. The floodwater from Khairamal will reach Mundali on Tuesday evening.
Maintaining that extreme vigilance on river embankments is necessary, Jena said the officials of the Water Resources department, collectors of the districts concerned, elected representatives and people should join hands to prevent any disaster. “If we face the situation with united effort now, there should be no matter of concern,” he added.
The SRC said the district collectors have been authorised to take decisions on the evacuation of people from affected areas depending on the situation and open relief camps to provide cooked food.
