6 Sluice Gates of Hirakud Dam Opened as Water Level Rises

Sambalpur: Authorities at Hirakud Dam in Odisha’s Sambalpur district opened a total of six sluice gates on Thursday, one day after closing all gates due to increasing water levels. The decision was taken in response to heavy rains in the upper catchment areas of the Mahanadi River overnight.

The water level in the reservoir had reached 629.5 feet, approaching its holding capacity of 630 feet. Just the previous day, the water level had dropped to 628.02 feet, prompting the closure of all sluice gates.

Engineer-in-Chief of the State Water Resources Department, Bhakta Ranjan Mohanty, assured that there was no flood threat, with 3.70 lakh cusec of water flowing through Mundali.

Odisha has experienced heavy rainfall in recent weeks, recording 284.7 mm in the last 21 days, which is 53% above the normal average of 185.4 mm for this period. Additionally, it exceeded September’s monthly average of 235.7 mm by 20%.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts continued heavy rainfall for the next two days, as a low-pressure area has shifted towards southeast Jharkhand and its surrounding regions.