Sambalpur: The Hirakud Dam authorities on Wednesday closed two sluice gates following a drop in the inflow of water into the reservoir in Odisha’s Sambalpur.
Currently, water is being released through 18 gates, including 12 on the left spillway and six on the right spillway of the dam.
“There is no flood threat in the state. Two sluice gates of Hirakud dam have been closed as water level in the Mahanadi upstream has decreased,” said Engineer-in-Chief, Water Resources, Bhakta Ranjan Mohanty.
There has been a noticeable decrease in the water levels due to a decrease in rainfall in upper and lower catchment areas of the Mahanadi river system. The water level of the dam stood at 611.85 ft at 6 am against its intake capacity of 630 ft.
Heavy rains in the upper catchment had prompted Hirakud Dam authorities to open 20 gates to release floodwater on Sunday.
Notably, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall at one or two places in Sambalpur districts on July 31 and August 1. Heavy rain may continue in the district on August 20.
