Bhubaneswar: The water level of the Subarnarekha River is rising and is expected to peak at Rajghat in Balasore at around 11.4 to 11.6 metres late Wednesday night, Water Resources Department Engineer-in-Chief (EIC) Dilip Rout said.
Rout said the flood situation in Odisha remained under control, with most major rivers showing either a falling or stable trend. However, the rising water level of the Subarnarekha remained a concern following the release of water from the Galudih barrage in Jharkhand.
“The water released from Galudih is expected to reach Rajghat tonight. The danger level at Rajghat is 10.36 metres, while the current water level is 10.83 metres and is still rising. We expect it to peak at around 11.4 to 11.6 metres late tonight,” Rout said.
Around 6,600 cubic metres per second (cumecs) of water was released from the Galudih barrage between 2 am and 7 am on Wednesday. The discharge has since declined to 5,538 cumecs, he said.
The peak flow is expected to persist in the Subarnarekha for around eight to 10 hours, following which the water level is likely to start receding by Thursday morning, Rout said.
Rout also said the impact of the low-pressure system had reduced in the state. Sundargarh and Bargarh districts were under a yellow alert, while the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued no warning for the next two days.
Meanwhile, water levels in several other rivers were either stable or showing a falling trend.
In the Jalaka River, the water level stood at 6.56 metres against the danger level of 6.5 metres and was slowly receding.
At the Jenapur observation site on the Brahmani River, the water level was 21.66 metres against the warning level of 22 metres and the danger level of 23 metres. Rout said the Brahmani was being regulated through the Rengali system and no flood situation was expected, as there had been no significant rainfall.
The Baitarani River at Akhuapada also showed a falling trend, with the water level at 18.57 metres against the danger level of 18.33 metres. The level had fallen from around 19.4 metres recorded on Tuesday.
In the Salandi River, the water level had remained almost constant over the past two days. At Bhadrak, it stood at 16.4 feet against the danger level of 17 feet.
The Budhabalanga River was also showing a falling trend, with its water level at 17.12 metres against the danger level of 18.13 metres.
Rout said the overall flood situation in the state remained under control, with the situation in most rivers expected to improve further as water levels receded.
