Incessant rainfall has led to rising water levels in Odisha’s Subarnarekha and Baitarani rivers, prompting flood alerts in several districts, the Water Resources Department confirmed on Sunday.
Engineer-in-Chief Chandra Sekhar Padhi reported that the Subarnarekha River has crossed the danger level, now flowing 0.5 metres above the mark. This marks the river’s fifth flood of the current monsoon season. Water levels are expected to rise further and may reach 11.4 metres by evening.
In the Baitarani basin, 42.57 mm of rainfall was recorded over the past 24 hours, contributing to rising river levels. Additionally, the upper Brahmani basin saw 35 mm of rainfall, while the Mahanadi catchment received 31 mm.
The continuous inflow into the Hirakud Dam from the upper Mahanadi catchment has raised the reservoir level to 621.65 feet. With an inflow of 1.98 lakh cusecs and an outflow of 1.60 lakh cusecs, authorities opened four more sluice gates today, bringing the total to 12.
Despite the increased water release, officials clarified that there is no flood threat along the Mahanadi River.
Meanwhile, Balasore, Bhadrak, and Keonjhar districts have been placed on alert, as parts of these regions are likely to be impacted by potential flooding from the Subarnarekha and Baitarani rivers.
