The excess water released from the Hirakud Dam reached Mundali near Cuttack on Sunday, increasing the water flow in the Mahanadi river. However, officials said there was no immediate major flood threat in the delta regions, even as 10 coastal districts remained on high alert.
The water level at Mundali rose to 5.73 lakh cusecs at 9 am on Sunday, compared with 4.74 lakh cusecs on Saturday. Water Resources Department Engineer-in-Chief Dillip Kumar Rout said the peak flood in the Mahanadi river had already passed, and the maximum water flow at Mundali was expected to remain around 7 lakh cusecs, reported PTI.
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"The highest 8.88 lakh cusecs of water had already flown through Mundali on Thursday night," Rout said, adding that the additional water could pass through the river without causing significant damage or inundating new areas if there was no further heavy rainfall.
The state government had placed 10 districts in the Mahanadi basin on high alert after water was released from Hirakud Dam through 22 sluice gates on Friday. Authorities were instructed to closely monitor low-lying areas in Khurda, Cuttack, Puri, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur.
Meanwhile, floods in north Odisha have affected more than 8 lakh people, with Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi saying several villages remained submerged due to rising waters in rivers including Salanadi, Jalaka, Baitarani, Brahmani and Budhabalang. He said water levels in several affected districts were receding rapidly and directed officials to speed up relief and rehabilitation work.
The state government has restored safe drinking water to the affected areas, while the Energy Department has reconnected electricity for 4.55 lakh of the 5.22 lakh impacted consumers. Restoration efforts remain underway in the remaining pockets.
As many as 566 Medical Assistance Teams have been deployed with essential medicines, while nearly 50 pregnant women were shifted to healthcare facilities and 53 safe deliveries were conducted. Urban infrastructure restoration has also progressed, with repairs completed on 371 roads and 56 culverts, as per the report.
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Relief operations are underway across nine districts to assist 4.89 lakh livestock and 2.34 lakh poultry impacted by the floods. Concurrently, officials maintain strict vigilance following an IMD forecast warning of thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds.
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