dam authority opened 27 gates to discharge suplus water from the reservoir

Heavy rain fall in the up-stream area has forced the Hirakud dam authority to open 27 gates of the reservoir to discharge the flood water into river Mnhanadi on Wednesday. To maintain the water level of the reservoir, dam authority has decided to open few more gates till night. However district administration has directed its subordinate officials to keep close watch with the situation as there is a possibility of evacuating the people living in low land areas of the town incase the dam discharges more water in the night.

Sources said, the water level of the Hirakud reservoir was gone up to 621.37 on Wednesday with heavy rain fall in the up-stream area. While the inflow was 5, 57,109 cusec it was expected to rise up to 6 lakhs cusec. The dam authority was forced to open 21 gates in the morning discharging the surplus water coming in to the reservoir. But till evening another 6 gates were opened looking to the increase in the inflow level. Through 27 gates, the dam authority was able to discharge only 4.5 lakhs cusec of water leaving about more than one lakh cuses of water in the reservoir. If the situation will continue than the water level of the reservoir may touch the danger mark in a day or two. Dam control room sources revealed that reservoir receives a rainfall of 55 mm in the up-stream area and 19 mm in downstream areas on Wednesday.“We have been forced to open 27 gates till evening to discharge the surplus water coming into the reservoir. Since the water level of the reservoir has already crossed 621 feet we it is not advisable to rise the water level further as there is every apprehension of increase in the inflow of water. If we do not discharge surplus water in a day or two than the water level may go up to danger mark of 630 feet soon ”, the superintending engineer of the Hirakud dam project Janaki Ballav Mahapatra told.

According to him the dam authority is continuously monitoring the water level at Munduli and Naraj (Cuttack) as the water level in those places are nearing the danger mark. “We are not in a position to discharge surplus flood water from the reservoir because Mahanadi is in full spate at Mundali and Naraj touching the danger level. However we will discharge the surplus water in a day or two to maintain the level of the reservoir at 610 feet”, Mr. Mahapatra told.

On the other hand the district administration is quite aware of the situation. All the district level officials have been directed to keep close watch of the situation. “I am quite aware of the situation with regular tough with the dam authority. I have also directed the district level officials to keep close watch of the situation”, collector (Sambalpur) PK Patnaik told.