Sluice gates of the Hirakud dam will be opened on July 23 to discharge the season’s first flood water, informed Odisha Hydro Power Corporation (OHPC) authorities on Thursday.
As per reports, the gates will be opened at 9am on July 23 amid a rise in reservoir water level following recent rains in upper catchment areas of the Mahanadi River in Chhattisgarh.
While the dam has the capacity to hold water up to the danger mark of 630 feet, the water level in the reservoir is currently at 611.52 feet. At the same time, the inflow to the dam has been measured at 1.4 lakh cusecs while the current outflow has been registered as 40,000 cusecs.
However, due to the continuous inflow of water into the reservoir, the water level is on the rise forcing to dam authorities to open the gates in three days of time.
Once the gates of Hirakud open, not only the Mahanadi but the water level of other distributaries of Mahanadi will rise too.
The dam authorities have warned the people downstream about the scheduled opening of the gates.