Sambalpur: Excess floodwater is being discharged through 28 gates of Hirakud Dam on Friday morning. The decision to open more gates was taken after incessant rains in the upper areas and heavy inflow into the reservoir resulted in an increase in water level.
The water inflow into the Hirakud Dam was at 65,6006 cusecs while outflow is 33,5658 cusecs. Water flow in the downstream of the dam was 7,54,385 lakh cusecs near Mundali and 6.10 lakh cusec near Barmul. A flood alert has been sounded in the low-lying areas.
Currently, the water level in the reservoir stands at 625 feet against a maximum water holding capacity of 630 feet. Dam authorities are likely to open more gates in the coming days, said sources.
According to the Regional Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar, on Thursday the well-marked low-pressure area has moved to southwest Jharkhand. Today the rains may decline gradually in Odisha. The MeT has not issued a heavy rain warning for Odisha from August 28 to 31. “Light to moderate rainfall likely to occur in a few places in interior and coastal Odisha districts from August 28 to 31,” MeT Regional centre Director HR Biswas had said yesterday.
