Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s Mundali is likely to witness a peak flood flow of around 6.5 lakh cusec by Wednesday evening, though the overall flood situation in the state remains under control, Water Resources Department Engineer-in-Chief Dillip Kumar Rout said on Tuesday.
Rout said the expected peak flow at Mundali would continue for around six to eight hours. He, however, ruled out any immediate threat of a major flood, saying the department was closely monitoring the situation and regulating water releases from reservoirs and barrages.
“The peak flood flow at Mundali is expected to be around 6.5 lakh cusec tomorrow evening. It may continue for six to eight hours, but there is no major flood situation,” Rout told reporters.
The Hirakud reservoir was maintaining a water level of around 623 feet against its highest reservoir level of 630 feet. The inflow into the reservoir was around 2.9 lakh cusec, with a similar volume being released downstream.
Sixteen gates of the Hirakud reservoir were open, Rout said, adding that the number of gates would be reduced if the inflow declined.
“We are maintaining the Hirakud reservoir water level as per the situation. If the inflow reduces, we will close more gates,” he said.
The department is keeping a close watch on the Baitarani, Brahmani, Salandi and Subarnarekha rivers, which have been affected by recent rainfall.
The Baitarani at Akhuapada, which had risen to 18.67 metres on Monday following rainfall in Keonjhar, receded to 18.14 metres on Tuesday. The danger level at the location is 18.33 metres. Rout said the water level was expected to take some time to recede further.
In Balasore, the Jalka river at Mathani was flowing at around 6.54 metres and had remained almost constant over the past five days.
The water level in the Vamsadhara river has started declining after rainfall in its catchment area and is currently below the warning level, with no immediate concern, he said.
On the Brahmani river, Rout said water releases from the Rengali reservoir were being regulated to keep the river level below the danger mark. The reservoir water level was around 122.5 metres, while inflow and outflow were being managed accordingly.
Around 5,000 cubic metres per second of water was being released from the Samal barrage.
At Jenapur, the Brahmani was flowing at 20.86 metres, below the warning level of 22 metres and the danger level of 23 metres.
The Salandi river’s water level was also stable. At Rajghat, the river was flowing at 15.80 feet against the danger level of 17 feet.
Rout said there was no flood situation in the Budhabalanga and Subarnarekha river systems.
The Water Resources Department is continuing to monitor reservoir levels, river flows and rainfall in the catchment areas and will regulate water releases depending on the situation, Rout said.
