Hirakud Reservoir in Sambalpur began releasing floodwater for the first time this year, opening four sluice gates in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida and senior officials.
Authorities confirmed that three gates on the left side and one on the right side discharged water into the Mahanadi. The release followed traditional rituals and marked the start of flood management operations.
Officials reported that about 64,000 cusecs of water flowed through the four gates, while power channels and irrigation outlets together discharged a total of 95,000 cusecs. Meanwhile, inflow into the reservoir reached 1.74 lakh cusecs per second.
Chief Engineer Pratap Chandra Choudhury, head of Hirakud Dam and Upper Mahanadi Basin, assured that the situation remains under control. He explained that rainfall in upstream areas is currently low and water levels at Mundali have decreased, reducing the risk of floods downstream.
Choudhury added that five more gates may be opened later in the evening, raising the total to nine. He noted that floodwater released from Sambalpur will take about 36 hours to reach Mundali, by which time water levels there will have dropped further.
