ROURKELA: Flood waters in rivers of Sundargrh district have started receding. People residing in low-lying areas along rivers Brahmani, Sankh and Koel fearing flash flood heaved a sigh of relief on Tuesday with water level in the swollen rivers receding significantly. In the last three days, two persons drowned in nullahs in Rourkela.
Water flow into Brahmani had increased menacingly in the last two days after it received flood water from its tributary river Koel and continuous rainfall in catchment areas. Fear of flood in low-lying downstream areas of Brahmani could be averted with water flow from Brahmani’s another major tributary river Sankh being restricted at Mandira dam of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) till Monday night. With water flow from Koel decreasing since Monday evening, it minimised the impact of opening of six sluice gates of Mandira dam.
RSP sources on Tuesday said seven of the 11 sluice gates have been opened and against inflow of 23,000 cusecs, the dam is releasing 25,000 cusecs to Brahmani. By 1.30 pm on Tuesday, the dam’s water level was 682.5 feet against the red mark of 683 feet.
Panposh Sub-Collector HS Behera said with rain relenting and situation of Koel river improving, water level of Brahmani receded and is flowing three metres below the danger mark of 178.42 metres.
Body of one Narsingh Bag (33), who went missing on Sunday after drowning in an overflowing nullah behind Jharkhand market, was fished out from Sector-16 by police on Tuesday. Similarly, a woman, Galo Oram (55), who went missing on Monday evening after drowning in a nullah at Bartoli, was also found dead on Tuesday by Bondamunda police here.