Sluice gates of Hirakud dam opened

Sambalpur: The gates of the Hirakud dam in Sambalpur district of Odisha were opened today on Sunday. The first floodwater of the year was released with the opening of the sluice gates of the Hirakud dam. Accordingly, the district administration issued a warning on July 4.

The authorities issued a warning mainly to the people living along the Mahanadi riverbanks to inform that the sluice gates of the Hirakud dam were opened today.

The warning was also announced on loud speaker prohibiting them from entering the river to avoid any untoward incidents during the floodwater discharge.

According to the Hirakud Dam’s Chief Engineer, the water level of the reservoir has now reached to 603 foot following heavy and continuous rain in the upper catchment area of the reservoir, while the usual water level of the dam by the end of July should be 605 foot.

Additionally, the dam authority have given advance warning to the district collectors of 13 districts, informing them that the floodwater discharge is due to the increased inflow of water from heavy rainfall in the upper catchment area.