Bhubaneswar: Providing a major relief to residents across Odisha, the Water Resources Department on Saturday confirmed that no flood-like situation exists in any river across the state, as most major rivers are flowing well below the danger mark. Only the Jalaka river, which had briefly crossed the danger level, is now showing signs of receding.
Engineer-in-Chief of the Water Resources Department, Chandra Sekhar Padhi, told reporters that rivers such as the Budhabalanga and Baitarani — which often pose flood threats during heavy monsoon spells — are currently stable and being closely monitored. “There is no cause for alarm at this stage. The overall situation is under control,” he assured.
Padhi further noted that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted no significant rainfall for the next seven days, which is expected to help the situation improve even further.
“With no forecast of major rainfall, we expect water levels to continue falling across all river systems,” he said.
As of 9 am on Saturday, the water level at the Hirakud reservoir was recorded at 626.35 feet. In response to changing inflow conditions, officials have closed four gates, while water is currently being discharged through 20 operational gates.
The reservoir is receiving 3.85 lakh cusecs of inflow, while 4.24 lakh cusecs are being released downstream. This controlled discharge is part of standard flood management protocol, Padhi said.
At Mundali, around 5.50 lakh cusecs of water are expected to pass through by 6 pm on Sunday, but authorities clarified that this is within manageable limits and does not indicate any risk of flooding.
The Water Resources Department has put all vulnerable points under surveillance and activated field-level staff to monitor river embankments and reservoirs.
