Sambalpur: The Hirakud dam authorities Sunday discharged the first floodwater of the year from the reservoir.
The season’s first flood water was released after a traditional puja. The sluice gate number 7 was first opened as done every year, chief engineer S K Behera told reporters.
He said that at least 20 such gates were opened by 6 pm Sunday.
The chief engineer said the decision to release floodwater was taken to manage the rising water level in the reservoir following incessant rain and increased inflow from upstream areas of Chhattisgarh.
Though the authorities opened eight gates in the first phase by 12 noon, later it was decided to open more such gates to discharge flood water. While the inflow into the reservoir was about 2.50 lakh cusec, the outflow stands at 3.36 lakh cusec, an official release said.
The full reservoir level (FRL) of Hirakud Dam was 630 feet and the present water level stands at 610.04 feet, the official said.
The rising water level in the Mahanadi river system was also attributed to the opening of 46 gates of the Kalma Barrage in Chhattisgarh Thursday, the official said.
Meanwhile, 13 districts in the downstream of Mahanadi including Cuttack were alerted and advised to caution people not to go near the river when the flood water is passing through the river. The people in riverside areas were cautioned through loud speaker prohibiting them from entering the river, an official said.
Cuttack Collector Dattatreya Bhausaheb Shinde said that the district administration has taken all possible measures to receive the season’s first floodwaters from the Hirakud reservoir which is likely to reach the Mundali barrage Monday night.
PNN & Agencies
