Odisha issued a fresh Mahanadi flood alert after heavy rain in the river’s upper catchment areas in Chhattisgarh increased inflows into the Hirakud reservoir, with authorities warning that low-lying areas across five districts could be affected as water enters the delta’s branch rivers.
The alert, issued on Sunday, is the fourth flood event in the Mahanadi river system since July. The India Meteorological Department has forecast no major rainfall in Odisha over the next three to four days, but officials said the water already moving through the river system could affect Khurda, Cuttack, Puri, Jagatsinghpur and parts of Kendrapada districts.
Authorities opened 28 sluice gates of Hirakud reservoir by Sunday evening to regulate the rising inflow. Around 7 lakh cusecs of water was expected to pass through Mundali on Sunday night, while the discharge could increase to about 8 lakh cusecs by Monday morning.
Dilip Rout, engineer-in-chief of Odisha’s water resources department, said officials were trying to ensure that the flow at Mundali did not exceed 8 lakh cusecs. He described the expected situation in the delta region as a “small flood” and said department officials had been placed on full alert.
The rivers likely to be affected include the Luna, Karandia, Chitroptala, Kathajodi, Kuakhai, Kushabhadra, Devi, Daya, Bhargavi and Rajua, along with several nullahs in the affected districts. The movement of water through these channels could inundate low-lying settlements even as rainfall reduces across the state.
The expected discharge at Mundali is lower than the peak flow of 8.9 lakh cusecs recorded on July 30. Officials are continuing to regulate releases from Hirakud and monitor the flow at Mundali as the next rise in discharge approaches.
The situation in north Odisha has improved in some areas. The Subarnarekha river, which reached a peak of 11.68 metres in the early hours of Sunday after receiving heavy upstream inflows, has started receding and is expected to fall below the danger level by Monday morning, Rout said. Water levels in the Baitarani and Budhabalanga rivers have also shown signs of improvement.
However, the Jalaka river in Balasore and the Salandi river in Bhadrak may take another two to three days to return to normal levels. In Jajpur district, a breach in an embankment of the Kani river inundated several villages.
Residents in the affected areas reported disruption to everyday needs. Shankar Das, a resident of the Dasarathpur area in Jajpur, said flooding had damaged crops and left the village surrounded by water, making access to drinking water and ration supplies difficult.
The water resources department is continuing to monitor the Mahanadi system, regulate Hirakud releases and track flows at Mundali. Officials are also monitoring the rivers and nullahs expected to carry floodwater through the central and coastal districts.
