Bhubaneswar: The flood-like situation triggered by heavy rainfall in parts of Odisha has started improving, with water levels in the Sapua and Kansabansa rivers receding. However, authorities continue to closely monitor river systems across the state, Water Resources Department Engineer-in-Chief Dillip Kumar Rout said on Saturday.
Rout said rainfall over the past two days had caused waterlogging in several areas and led to minor flooding in some locations, including parts of Baleshwar district. However, with the reduction in rainfall, water levels have started declining and the overall situation remains under control.
“In the Sapua River, water had overtopped the banks at some places, creating a minor flood situation. The water level is now decreasing, and by Sunday morning, most of the water is expected to move towards the Mahanadi,” Rout said while briefing the media.
He added that the Kansabansa River in the Sora area of Baleshwar district had also witnessed overtopping of its banks and flooding. However, the situation was gradually improving as there was no fresh rainfall in the river’s catchment area.
Rout also said the waterlogging situation in the Mathani area of Basta block in Baleshwar district, which had persisted for the last three days due to tidal effects, had improved.
“The water level has come down to 5.9 metres against the danger mark of 6.5 metres. The situation is improving, and the level is expected to reduce further by this evening,” he said.
Rout said no major damage had been reported to dams, barrages, canals or embankments due to the recent rainfall. Minor repair works in affected areas would be completed within a day or two.
According to Rout, the highest rainfall in the last 24 hours was recorded in Satyabadi and Puri, where around 105 mm of rainfall was received. Several other areas recorded average rainfall between 40 mm and 80 mm.
“Overall, there is no flood situation in any major river at present,” Rout said.
Meanwhile, inflow into the Hirakud reservoir has increased due to rising water flow from upper catchment areas. Rout said the reservoir was receiving around 80,000 cusecs of water, which could rise to nearly one lakh cusecs.
The current water level at Hirakud stands at around 610 feet and is expected to rise to 612-614 feet by Sunday. A decision on releasing water from the reservoir will be taken after reviewing the situation, Rout said.
At Mundali, around 1.60 lakh cusecs of water is currently flowing, while upper catchment areas are contributing nearly 2 lakh cusecs. The flow is expected to reach around 2.5 lakh cusecs by Sunday morning.
Despite the rise in inflows, the department ruled out any immediate flood threat.
Rout said the state is prepared for another spell of monsoon rainfall expected around July 24 and 25, as forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
On reservoir storage, he said only one gate of the Salandi reservoir was currently open, while the reservoir has around 65% storage. Among the 10 major reservoirs in the state, eight have less than 50% storage due to inadequate rainfall in their catchment areas.
Two reservoirs have storage levels between 50% and 75%, while Hirakud currently has around 39-40% storage, which is gradually increasing.
Rout added that river levels and reservoir inflows would continue to be monitored closely in view of the expected rainfall activity in the coming days.
