Authorities of the Hirakud Dam at Burla opened total 19 gates till Thursday afternoon to release inflow of water into the dam following heavy rains in the upper catchments of the Mahanadi River.
According to Chief Superintending Engineer of Hirakud Dam Project, Rabindra Kumar Panda, the inflow of water to the reservoir by 10am was 2,46,043 lakh cusecs while the outflow from the 15 gates and power channel was 2.60 lakh cusecs.
On Wednesday, eleven gates were opened to maintain the prescribed level of water in the reservoir. The water level of the reservoir which was 623.25 feet on Wednesday has gone up to 623.69 feet as against the optimum level of 630 feet.
“Considering the inflow of more water into the dam due to incessant rain in the upper catchments, we have decided to open another four gates later in the day,” Panda said and added that there is no threat of flood in the lower catchments.