Bhubaneswar: Concerns are mounting over a potential flood situation in the low-lying districts of northern Odisha as the Subarnarekha River continues to swell rapidly after large-scale water releases from the Galudih Barrage in neighbouring Jharkhand.
Water Resources Department Engineer-in-Chief Dilip Rout said the rising water level of the Subarnarekha remained a concern even as the overall flood situation in the state stayed under control, with most major rivers showing either a falling or stable trend. “The water released from Galudih is expected to reach Rajghat tonight. The danger level at Rajghat is 10.36 metres, while the current water level is 10.83 metres and is still rising. We expect it to peak at around 11.4 to 11.6 metres late tonight,” Rout said.
Around 6,600 cubic metres per second of water was released from the Galudih Barrage between 2 am and 7 am on Wednesday, with the discharge later declining to 5,538 cumecs. The peak flow is expected to persist for around eight to 10 hours before the water level begins to recede by Thursday morning, he added.
Low-lying zones in Baleswar district, including Baliapal, Basta, Bhograi and Jaleswar blocks, face the highest risk of severe waterlogging and inundation, with conditions potentially lasting three to four days once the floodwaters arrive.
Authorities are closely monitoring other river basins. The Jalaka River stood at 6.56 metres against a danger level of 6.5 metres and was slowly receding. At Jenapur on the Brahmani River, the level was 21.66 metres against a warning level of 22 metres and a danger level of 23 metres; the river is being regulated through the Rengali system and no flood is expected. The Baitarani at Akhuapada showed a falling trend at 18.57 metres against a danger level of 18.33 metres, down from about 19.4 metres on Tuesday. The Budhabalanga was also falling at 17.12 metres against a danger level of 18.13 metres, while the Salandi remained nearly constant at 16.4 feet against a danger level of 17 feet at Bhadrak.
Meanwhile, at the Hirakud Dam, 17 sluice gates have been opened to discharge excess floodwater. Inflow into the reservoir stands at around 2.80 lakh cusecs, with an equivalent volume being released downstream. Authorities anticipate a flow of around 1.5 lakh cusecs near Mundali in Kataka.
Rout noted that the impact of the recent low-pressure system had eased, with the India Meteorological Department issuing no warnings for the next two days.
However, local authorities and disaster response teams remain on high alert as monitoring continues along the Subarnarekha basin.