A nine-member team from the Central Water Commission (CWC), including four representatives from the World Bank, today reviewed the construction progress of the additional spillway at the Hirakud Dam.
The inspection is part of the Dam Rehabilitation & Improvement Project-III (DRIP-III), which aims to enhance the dam’s floodwater discharge capacity.
The team reviewed the construction work on the left spillway, the dam foundation gallery, the sluice gate operations, and the power channel. The inspection follows the recent approval of 11 projects under DRIP-III by the Odisha Cabinet, including the spillway project, estimated to cost ₹1066.38 crore and span six years. The project is funded by the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
The Hirakud Dam, one of the largest of its kind, currently manages floodwater via 64 sluice gates and 34 crest gates with a discharge capacity of 1.5 million cusecs per second. However, future requirements indicate a need to handle over 2.46 million cusecs, necessitating additional spillways.
Following the upgrade, the dam’s discharge capacity is expected to increase significantly, contributing to better flood management in the region.
