Bhubaneswar: The flood situation in the Mahanadi river system is likely to peak at Mundali this evening, with the water flow expected to remain below 8 lakh cusecs, a senior Water Resources Department official said on Monday.
Water Resources Department Engineer-in-Chief Dillip Kumar Rout said 7.83 lakh cusecs of water was flowing through Mundali at noon and the discharge was slowly increasing.
“However, as we had predicted, the water flow at Mundali is not expected to exceed 8 lakh cusecs,” Rout told reporters.
He said the water level in the Hirakud reservoir stood at 629.52 feet, while the inflow into the reservoir was around 6.30 lakh cusecs.
Till noon, 28 sluice gates of the Hirakud Dam had been opened, through which around 5 lakh cusecs of water was being released, he said, adding that two more gates were subsequently opened.
The official said the flood situation was not expected to worsen as the inflow into the Hirakud reservoir had started declining.
“At Saradih in Chhattisgarh, the inflow has reduced from around 7 lakh cusecs to 6 lakh cusecs. The inflow into the Hirakud reservoir is also declining,” Rout said.
He said the water level in the lower Tel basin at Patharla was also receding. The flow had come down to around 1.16 lakh cusecs from approximately 2.70 lakh cusecs recorded there on Sunday.
Rout said there had been no significant rainfall in Odisha, with rainfall remaining below 30 mm in most places.
In the delta region comprising Khordha, Puri, Kataka, Jagatsinghpur and parts of Kendrapada, the flood situation was minor, he said.
“We are closely monitoring the situation at Mundali and do not expect the water flow to exceed 8 lakh cusecs. The flood is expected to peak this evening and then gradually recede,” Rout said.
He also said that, apart from the Mahanadi, there was no flood situation in any other river in the state.
The authorities are closely monitoring the river system and water levels at different locations, he added.
