Around 21 lakh people in 21 districts have been affected by inundation and other issues that arose following incessant rains triggered by a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal for three consecutive days in Odisha.
Special Relief Commissioner (SRC), PK Jena on Wednesday said that as per the preliminary reports, more than 3,000 houses have been damaged in various rain-related incidents which also claimed the lives of four (4) people in different parts of the State. 1.30 lakh hectares of agricultural land has also been affected, he added.
Also Read
According to Jena, several parts of Chhattisgarh and the upper catchment areas received heavy rainfall in the past couple of days. Till yesterday, around 3.5 lakh cusecs of water was entering the Hirakud dam and six sluice gates of the reservoir were opened keeping in view of the water level in Tel river.
As per the latest information, the water level at Hirakud dam now stands at 628.23 ft against the full capacity of 630ft. Excess water is being released through 12 gates. The current inflow into the dam is 2,98,000 cusecs per second while the outflow is 2,25,000 cusecs.
“Following discussions with officials of Hirakud dam and Water Resources Department and others, we have decided to keep the water level of Hirakud at 628 ft. The Water Resources department has decided to keep the inflow of 7 lakh cusecs or more at Mundali. Hence, we are expecting low to medium flood to pass through,” said Jena.
The SRC further said, “We anticipate that there will be no major problems in low lying areas down the Mahanadi stream. Concerned officials have been directed to keep a close watch on river embankments. There will be no adverse impact even if 5 to 6 more gates of Hirakud dam are opened.”