Hirakud opens more gates, Baitarani flood receding slowly

Odisha's Hirakud Dam in Sambalpur district opened five more gates on Monday, taking the total to seven, as inflow from the upper catchment rose to 2,01,240 cusecs per second. The reservoir level reached 619.2 ft, below the full capacity of 630 ft. By Tuesday, three additional gates were opened, making ten gates operational. The outflow was nearly 1.60 lakh cusecs, and the flow at Mundali could rise to 3-3.5 lakh cusecs, but officials do not expect a major flood.

Floodwaters in the Baitarani River have begun to recede after peaking at 19.43 metres at Akhuapada, against the danger level of 17.83 metres. The Water Resources Department Engineer-in-Chief Dillip Kumar Rout said low-lying areas may remain waterlogged for another three to four days. In the Brahmani basin, two gates of Rengali Dam remain open after one of three was closed. The river at Jenapur stood at 22.05 metres, below the Central Water Commission danger level of 23 metres. Officials expect it to fall below the warning level by evening but remain cautious about fresh rainfall in Jharsuguda and Sundargarh.

The Salandi river was steady at 18.1 metres, while the Budhabalanga fell to 7.76 metres against its danger level of 8.13 metres. The Subarnarekha at Rajghat was at 9.13 metres, well below danger, but heavy rain in Jharkhand could release 5,000-5,500 cusecs from Galudih Barrage, reaching Odisha after Wednesday evening. Officials said a major flood is not anticipated. Rainfall across Odisha is expected to decrease from Wednesday as a low-pressure system moves to Jharkhand.