ROURKELA: Residents of low-lying areas in Rourkela city are living in fear as Brahmani river is in spate as owing to incessant rains for the last few days. However, the rains have brought cheers for farmers in Sundargarh disrict.
The water level of Brahmani is gradually rising due to continuous rainfall in its catchment areas over the last three days along with inflow of surplus water from Koel river. However there is no threat of flood as yet. Sources said Brahmani river started swelling from 3 pm onwards on Saturday after release of floodwater in Sankh river from Mandira dam of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP).
RSP sources informed by 9 am on Sunday, the water level of the Mandira dam reached 681 feet as the reservoir was receiving 53,024 cusec forcing release of 53,930 cusec from nine spillway gates to a height of seven feet and two gates to a height of four feet.
Sources in Central Water Commission (CWC) informed by 3 pm on the day, Brahmani at Rourkela was flowing at 176.65 metre against the warning level of 177.51 metre. The danger level of the river is 178.42 metre. The river was getting more water from Sankh compared to Koel river. Sources said as rain stopped at around 11 am on the day, the situation is likely to improve gradually subject to simultaneous reduction in water flow to Brahmani from its two tributaries.
Sources said the backwater of Brahmani entered more than a dozen houses at Balughat. The local administration is keeping a watch on possible flood situation. Meanwhile, after three days of intermittent rainfall in all 17 blocks of the district, agriculture activities have substantially increased. Earlier, due to prolonged dry spells paddy transplanting operations were held up in major portions of the district.
Sundargarh chief district agriculture officer (CDAO) Harihar Nayak said with adequate rainfall, coverage of transplanting operations has reached 40 to 45 per cent. He hoped with periodic good rainfall 100 per cent paddy coverage would be achieved in the next fortnight to three weeks. Earlier paddy broadcasting was completed on 30 per cent of areas and with good rainfall in the next two weeks inter-cultural operations would be completed. So far 62 per cent achievement has been noticed in cultivation of non-paddy crops including arhar, maize, moong, biri, sesame, groundnut and vegetables.