Hirakud Dam releases season’s first Flood Water Today

ONI Bureau:  This season’s first flood waters of Mahanadi River from Hirakud Dam in Odisha’s Sambalpur district have been released today through Gate no-7 as the water level has increased in its reservoir due to incessant rains in the upper reaches of Mahanadi.

Around 3 lakh cusecs of water will be released into the Mahandi River that will take 36 hours for the flood water to reach Cuttack.

However,  Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik informed as many as 15 gates will be opened to release the excess water from Hirakud Dam.

The water level in Hirakud Dam reached to about 618 feet at 10 AM today while the dam has a capacity of holding water up to 630 feet, informed Hirakud Chief Engineer Jyotirmaya Rath.

As per sources many as 4, 98,344 cusec water released at Mundali; 3, 26, 644 cusec at Naraj; 2, 52,000 cusec at Barmul; 1, 74,000 cusec at Khairmal from Mahanadi.