Odisha braces for floods as major rivers including Mahanadi, Baitarani, Subarnarekha swell

Water levels in the Subarnarekha and Baitarani rivers have crossed the danger mark on Sunday, raising concerns of possible floods in Odisha in the coming days.

Sharing details, Engineer-in-Chief of the Water Resources department Chandrashekhar Padhy, informed that heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas has led to a surge in the water level of major rivers. The Baitarani basin alone has received 42.57 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, while the Upper Brahmani recorded 35 mm and Hirakud registered 31 mm of rain.

“The Baitarani basin, which includes Keonjhar and Jharkhand, has received 42.57 mm of rainfall. Similarly, Upper Brahmani recorded 35 mm and Hirakud registered 31 mm of rain in the last 24 hours. As a result, flood is very much likely to occur in Subarnarekha and Baitarani rivers”, Padhy said.

The Subarnarekha river, already flowing above the danger level, is expected to witness a further rise in the water levels. Similarly, water levels are swelling in the Bansadhara and Budhabalanga rivers.

“As of 10 am today, Baitarani has already breached the danger mark at Akhuapada and is flowing at 18.61 meters against the danger mark of 18.33 meters. Similarly, in Subarnarekha, the water level stands at 10.85 meters in Rajghat as against the danger mark of 10.36 meters,” the top official informed.

To manage the excess inflow, 12 gates of the Hirakud reservoir have been opened. However, officials clarified that there is no major flood threat in the Mahanadi river at present. Authorities are closely monitoring the situation as downstream areas brace for the impact of rising river water levels.