Odisha is facing the threat of floods. The excess water released from the Hirakud dam reached Mundali near Cuttack on Sunday, due to which the water level of the Mahanadi rose. In view of the situation, 10 coastal districts have been put on high alert. However, there is no major threat of flooding in the low-lying areas of the river at present. The water level in Mundali rose to 5.73 lakh cusecs at 9 am on Sunday, which was 4.74 lakh cusecs on Saturday.
“The water level in Mundali near Cuttack has definitely risen, but the most dangerous period of flooding in the Mahanadi has passed. The maximum water level in Mundali can reach about 700,000 cusecs. Earlier, on Thursday night, the maximum flow of 8.88 lakh cusecs of water had passed through Mundali,” said Dilip Kumar Raut, Engineer-in-Chief of the Water Resources Department. The Engineer-in-Chief Raut said that the most dangerous period of flooding in the Mahanadi has passed. If there is no heavy rain in the area again, the excess water can flow out without causing any major damage.
The state government has put 10 districts of the Mahanadi basin on high alert after 22 gates of the Hirakud dam were opened to release water. The rising water level may cause damage to low-lying areas of Khordha, Cuttack, Puri, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur, so officials have been instructed to be alert.
The Meteorological Department has issued a warning till 8:30 am on Monday that heavy rains accompanied by strong winds and lightning are likely in 21 districts including Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Sundargarh, Angul, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Kalhandi, Malkanagariya, Malkangira, Kongaradput, Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Khordha and Nayagarh. Meanwhile, more than 800,000 people have been affected by floods in north Odisha.