Bhubaneswar: In a move aimed at managing the water level in the reservoir, the Hirakud Dam authorities have decided to release the season’s first floodwater from the reservoir on July 28.
Meanwhile, downstream districts have been placed on high alert, with residents warned to take necessary precautions to protect themselves and their properties.
The water level of the Hirakud reservoir is increasing due to heavy rainfall in the upper catchment area of Mahanadi. The sluice gates of the Hirakud Dam will be opened at 9 am on July 29 to release this year’s first floodwater, informed the Hirakud Dam’s Chief Engineer Sushil Kumar Behera.
It is learnt that the water level in the Hirakud reservoir surged by 2 feet to reach 604 feet today, inching closer to its total capacity of 630 feet. This significant rise is attributed to the heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas of the Mahanadi River in neighbouring Chhattisgarh, which is causing a massive influx of 1,72,176 cusecs of floodwater into the dam.
