Bhubaneswar: The flood situation in Odisha has eased significantly, with the Water Resources Department on Saturday stating that there is no longer any threat of flooding in the Mahanadi river system.
Engineer-in-Chief (EIC) of the Water Resources Department Dilip Rout said the flood had peaked two days ago and that effective regulation of water at the Hirakud Dam had prevented a major flood downstream.
Rout said the water level at the Hirakud reservoir stood at 625 feet, while inflows from the upper catchment had declined. Twenty-two gates of the dam remained open on Friday, and no additional gates are expected to be closed over the next two days. The reservoir level is projected to fall to around 618 feet by August 3.
He said there was no flood situation at Mundali, though waterlogging may continue in low-lying areas of Puri, Khordha, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara districts. Unless there is fresh heavy rainfall, no further flooding is expected in the Mahanadi basin, he added.
Referring to upstream developments, Rout said gates of the Kalma Barrage in Chhattisgarh had been opened, but inflows into Odisha were declining. In accordance with the standard operating procedure, the Hirakud reservoir will be drawn down over the next three days to create sufficient storage capacity to handle any future flood situation.
The Engineer-in-Chief also said water levels in other major rivers, including the Baitarani, were receding and that all rivers had fallen below their respective danger levels.
He informed that seven breaches had been reported in embankments due to heavy rainfall. Repair work will commence within two days after the State Relief Commissioner releases the required funds. Temporary restoration of the damaged embankments will be completed before the next spell of heavy rain, he added.
