Bhubaneswar: The flood situation in parts of Odisha remains critical as the Subarnarekha River has crossed the danger mark.
Engineer-in-Chief of the Water Resources Department, Chandra Sekhar Padhi, on Sunday informed that the water level in the Subarnarekha River is being closely monitored at Rajghat. While the danger level is marked at 10.36 metres, the river is currently flowing at 10.85 metres—about 0.5 metres above the danger mark.
“This qualifies as a flood situation and we estimate that the level may rise further, possibly reaching up to 11.4 metres,” he said.
Meanwhile, heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas of the Hirakud Dam has led to a significant inflow of water. As of 10 am on Sunday, the water level in the dam stood at 621.65 feet. Around 1,98,478 cusecs of water is entering the reservoir and currently, 1,60,000 cusecs of water is being released through eight sluice gates.
“In view of the heavy rainfall recorded at 31.33 mm in the upper catchment, we have decided to open four more gates of the Hirakud Dam. These will be opened today,” Padhi added.
Turning attention to the Brahmani River, he stated that the Rengali Dam is witnessing an inflow of 5,744 cumecs of water. Two gates of the dam have been opened to release 3,400 cumecs of water.
Padhi clarified that there is no imminent flood threat in the Mahanadi River. However, precautionary measures are being taken in Balasore, Bhadrak, and Keonjhar districts, which have been placed on alert.
These areas are likely to be affected by rising water levels in the Subarnarekha and Baitarani rivers.
The Water Resources Department continues to monitor the situation closely and has urged the public to stay alert and follow safety advisories issued by local authorities.
