The official machinery in the State is on high alert due to a threat of low to moderate-level floods in the Mahanadi river system.
Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Pradeep Jena on Friday said that even though the water levels in rivers like Baitarini and Jalaka rivers were receding, that of Subarnarekha was rising.
Though there are no threats of any major floods, it is expected that floodwaters might ingress into the low-lying villages in Bhograi and Baliapal blocks in Baleswar district. “The district administration is on alert. ODRAF and NDRF teams have been deployed to combat any emergency,” said Jena.He said that around 5.5 lakh cusecs of water was entering the Hirakud Dam on Thursday, but it decreased to 4.70 lakh cusecs with an outflow of 4.84 lakh cusecs on Friday. The excess water was released through 28 gates of the dam.
“We are expecting a peak Mahanadi flow at Mundali by Saturday. As per the projection, around 7.5 lakh cusecs of water will pass through Mundali. We hope to keep the flow below 8 lakh cusecs. As per our assessment, there will be no problem in the tributaries of Mahanadi,” Jena added. Water Resources Department Chief Engineer Dhiren Samal said the Hirakud Dam water level now stands at 628.79 feet and it is showing a decreasing trend as the excess water was released through 28 gates on Thursday night.
“By midnight today (Friday), we expect a peak flood of 7 to 7.5 lakh cusecs to pass through Mundali. There will be low to medium-level floods. As many low-lying areas in Kendrapada and other coastal districts are inundated by rainwater, normalcy would return slowly,” Samal said. “The floodwater will remain stagnant in low-lying areas and will be released slowly. As the sea condition is tidal, the discharge of water is getting delayed. After the lunar tide effect is over, the water will decrease automatically,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Regional Office of the Indian Metrological Department (IMD) here said several parts of the State would experience heavy downpours from Saturday and the conditions would continue till September 21. Issuing a Yellow alert, the IMD said heavy rains are very likely to occur at one or two places over the districts of Baleswar, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Khordha, Puri, Nayagarh, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh, Kandhamal, Malkangiri and Koraput.