Hirakud Water Level Rises as Chhattisgarh Opens 66 Gates of Kalma Barrage

Bhubaneswar: The water level in the reservoir of the Hirakud dam is rising rapidly as Chhattisgarh opened all 66 gates of the Kalma Barrage.

As a result authorities in Odisha had to open 12 sluice gates to release the heavy amount of flood water entering the reservoir. On Friday, 10 gates of Hirakud were opened in two phases.

The water level at Hirakud now is at 620 feet, with 4,97,016 cusecs of floodwater entering every second. Around 2,22,503 cusecs of water is being drained out, to control the situation.

But it is feared that with more water of Mahanadi entering the Hirakud reservoir through the Kalma barrage in Chhattisgarh, more sluice gates of the dam may have to be opened up. It will lead to floods in the lower regions of the Mahanadi basin in Odisha.

Floods have, so far, affected about 5 lakh people in Odisha.

The districts along the coast of the Mahanadi River an dits tributaries have been placed on high alert. The local administrations are ensuring safety of the people living on river banks.