Hirakud Dam gates to open on July 6 for the first floodwater release this year

The gates of the Hirakud Dam will be opened on July 6 for the first floodwater release of the current year. This information was provided by the Chief Engineer of Hirakud Dam, Sushil Kumar Behera, on Thursday.

As per the announcement, the gates will be opened at 10 AM following rituals and worship to manage the water levels effectively.

The controlled release of floodwater is a routine operation during the monsoon season to manage the water level of the reservoir.

"First gate number 7 will be opened. However, the decision about the number of gates to be opened will be decided on July 6, taking into account the amount of rain and the inflow of water into the reservoir," said Chief Engineer of Hirakud Dam, Sushil Kumar Behera.

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"The dam currently has 603.02 ft of water. Gradually, it is increasing due to heavy rain in the upper catchment area. Considering the current amount of rain and the prediction by IMD, we are anticipating that the quantity of water in the dam may increase. As per the rule curve, the amount of water in the dam has been fixed. Taking the irrigation water into account, the special committee of the Hirakud Dam has empowered the Chief Engineer to keep the level of water at the reservoir up to 605 ft until July 31. Now, we have 48 hours at hand. As we have to give a warning to the lower catchment areas of the reservoir, we have decided to open the gates on July 6. As per the current situation, there is no chance of any flood in Odisha. The Water Resources Department is fully prepared to face any kind of eventualities," he added.