Bhubaneswar: The flood situation in Odisha has improved “significantly”, with water levels in major rivers steadily declining and no fresh rainfall reported in the Mahanadi catchment, Engineer-in-Chief (Water Resources) Dilip Raut said Monday.
“The absence of rainfall in both the upper and lower reaches of the Mahanadi basin has significantly reduced the immediate flood risk across the state. Authorities are now focused on regulating reservoir levels and restoring damaged flood-control infrastructure,” Rout said.
The water level at the Hirakud reservoir stood at 620.77 feet Monday. As part of reservoir management, officials aim to bring it down to 618 feet by Tuesday and 615 feet by Wednesday. Around 3.03 lakh cusecs of water is currently being discharged from the dam, while the flow at Mundali has been recorded at 5.82 lakh cusecs, Raut said.
On the weather outlook, Raut said some international forecasting models indicate the possibility of another spell of rainfall after August 5. However, the Regional Centre of India Meteorological Department has not yet issued any forecast confirming such a development.
He also cautioned that authorities would continue to monitor weather conditions closely, particularly in view of possible influences associated with El Niño, and remain prepared for any change in the monsoon pattern.