BHUBANESWAR: Water level in reservoirs of undivided Koraput and Kalahandi districts are alarmingly low as the cyclonic storm Gulab failed to bring desired rains in the Kolab and Indravati river basins.The Upper Kolab with 38.2 per cent live storage is 6.9 mt down the full reservoir level (FRL) of 858 mt. At 851 mt on Tuesday, the water level is 0.37 mt less than this day last year.
Live storage available in Machhkund reservoir in Koraput district is 47.5 per cent at 2730.3 ft against the FRL of 2,750 ft. The water level during the same day last year was 2743.35 ft.The reservoir on Balimela river in Malkangiri district with 39.7 per cent is around 21 ft below the water level during this day last year. With FRL at 1516 ft, the water level on Tuesday was 1479.89 ft.
The multipurpose Indravati irrigation project at Mukhiguda in Kalahandi district is also facing problems due to low reservoir level. Having a full reservoir level of 642 mt, it has a live storage of 37.7 per cent as the water level stood at 632.9 mt.
The hydro power projects at Upper Kolab, Balimela, Machhkund and Indravati contribute significantly to the peak power demand of the State, particularly during summer. “If there will be no further improvement in water level in these reservoirs, the State is likely to face power crisis during the summer,” sources in the OHPC said.
The cyclonic storm Gulab did not have much impact on the State as it made landfall in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. As the last hope of getting good rain from the cyclonic system petered out, only another low pressure induced rain in the region could save the situation, the sources said.The only saving grace is that the water level in Hirakud and Rengali dams are at full reservoir level.