Bhubaneswar: A flood threat loomed over parts of Odisha on Friday as water levels in the Budhabalanga and Subarnarekha rivers continued to rise amid heavy rainfall, while the Baitarani river crossed the danger mark at Akhuapada, prompting the Water Resources Department to closely monitor the situation.
Water Resources Department Engineer-in-Chief Dillip Kumar Rout said water levels in several rivers had been rising over the past two days due to rainfall.
“The Baitarani river at Akhuapada crossed the danger level this morning and the water level is expected to rise further by this evening. It may reach around 19.2 metres by 7 pm today before starting to recede,” Rout said while speaking to the media here on Friday.
The danger level of the Baitarani at Akhuapada is 18.33 metres, while the water level had reached 18.66 metres by Friday morning.
Rout said rainfall had been widespread across the state. According to data recorded at 9 am, around 100 mm of rainfall had been recorded at 63 places, while 161 places had received more than 50 mm of rainfall.
The situation in southern Odisha was also being monitored closely, he said. The storage level in the Indravati reservoir in Nabarangpur, which was around 84% before the low-pressure system, had increased to 94% following heavy rainfall.
“To reduce the water level in the Indravati reservoir, we have opened five gates. There has been no rainfall in the area since morning,” Rout said.
The Upper Kolab reservoir in Koraput, meanwhile, saw its storage level rise from around 50% to 67%. No gates had been opened there as sufficient space was available in the reservoir, he said.
Similarly, the storage level in the Balimela reservoir rose from around 40% to 60%, with no gates opened so far due to adequate space.
In the Bansadhara basin covering parts of Gajapati and Rayagada districts, the water level remained steady and below the danger mark, Rout said.
The Rushikulya river was also showing a receding trend at several locations. At Sorada in Ganjam district, the danger level is 82 metres and the river was flowing at around 79 metres. At Madhaparida, the danger level is 60 metres, while the water level was 56.7 metres and receding.
At Purushottampur on the Rushikulya, the water level stood at 16.51 metres against the danger level of 16.84 metres and was also showing a receding trend.
However, the Jalaka river at Mathani was showing a rising trend, with the water level reaching 6.78 metres. Rout said the level could rise further, although the highest level recorded at the location was 7.4 metres in August.
The Salandi river at Rajghat was flowing at 16.70 feet against the danger level of 17 feet.
The department has also forecast a possible rise in the Budhabalanga and Subarnarekha rivers.
“In the Subarnarekha, around 2,800 cusecs of water was released at Galudih. At Rajghat, the danger level is 10.36 metres and the present water level is 8.85 metres. It is expected to rise to around 10.5 metres,” Rout said.
He said the Subarnarekha was expected to touch the danger level but was not likely to rise significantly above it.
The Budhabalanga river was also showing a rising trend. At NH-5 near Govindpur, the water level stood at 7.98 metres against the danger level of 8.14 metres.
“According to our forecast, the water level in the Budhabalanga is expected to reach around 8.6 metres by this evening,” Rout said.
