Even as heavy rains continued in several parts of the State triggered by a low-pressure area, a top official of the Water Resources Department on Thursday ruled out any possibility of floods.
Water Resources Engineer-in-Chief (EIC) Bhakta Ranjan Mohanty said the State Government is ready for any eventuality. The upper catchment areas of Mahanadi received an average rainfall of around 37 mm. A peak inflow of around 2,00,000 cusecs is expected into the Hirakud Dam.
“We have opened 10 gates of Hirakud and the current water level of the reservoir stands at 6 28.77 ft. The water flow at Khairmal stands at 1,27,000 cusecs and it is around 92,000 cusecs at Mundali. We expect a peak flow of around 4,50,000 to 5,00,000 cusecs of floodwater at Khiarmal and subsequently in Mundali,” said Mohanty.
He further said there is not much rainfall in the downstream of Hirakud while the upstream is likely to experience rainfall activities.
“We will assess the rainfall situation in the evening and if needed more gates will be opened. There is no flood threat in the State,” Mohanty added.
