The Hirakud Dam in Sambalpur district would release the first floodwaters of the season on August 5, informed the dam’s Chief Engineer Harmohan Pradhan on Wednesday.
The floodwaters would be released through seven gates between 10 am and 12.30 pm on that day, said Pradhan.
The water level in the dam increased to 611.47 metre by 10 am on Wednesday as the upper catchment of the Mahanadi in Chhattisgarh received good rainfall, he added.
The district Collectors of Sambalpur, Bargarh, Subarnapur, Angul, Boudh, Nayagarh, Cuttack, Khordha, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur and Puri have been asked to be on alert ahead of the release of floodwaters, official sources said.