SAMBALPUR: The Hirakud dam authorities have decided to release the season’s first floodwater into the Mahanadi River on July 23. The decision was taken in view of the steady rise in the water level of Hirakud reservoir due to heavy rainfall in the upstream of the dam.
On Thursday, notices were issued to all the districts on downstream of Hirakud dam in this regard. People residing in downstream of the dam were asked to remain alert.
“The first floodwater will be released from Hirakud Dam Reservoir at 9 am on July 23. As a result, the water level of the reservoir and its distributaries will increase. Therefore, people living at the lower end of Hirakud dam need to remain alert while entering into the tributaries,” said the notice.
The chief engineer of Upper Mahanadi Basin Ananda Charan Sahoo said a certain level has to be maintained in the reservoir for flood observation before the release of water. “As the water level is already over 605 ft, we decided to open the gates. As the first alert is given at least 48 hours before the release of water, we issued the notices today. The number of gates to be opened will be decided depending on the water inflow at that time,” Sahoo informed.
As per rule, the water level should be 605 ft against the full reservoir level of 630 ft till July 31. However, the dam’s water level has already reached around 612 ft due to continuous rainfall in the upstream.
At 6 pm on Thursday, the water level of Hirakud dam stood at 612 ft against the full reservoir level of 630 ft. The inflow of water into the reservoir was 1,40,147 cusec and the outflow from the dam was 39,842 cusec.
There are 98 gates (64 sluice and 34 crest) to release floodwater from Hirakud dam. Each sluice gate can discharge 16,440 cusec of water when the reservoir level is 630 ft, which is also termed as the danger level. Similarly, each crest gate can discharge 16,238 cusec of water at 630 ft.