Hirakud Dam open 5 more gates as water level rises

Sambalpur: The Hirakud dam authorities on Saturday opened five more sluice gates of the reservoir in Odisha’s Sambalpur district to release excess floodwater amid rise in its water level.

The flood water is now being released through 17 gates of Hirakud Dam.

The reservoir was receiving 4,88,735 cusec water from the upper catchment area and discharging 2,23,620 cusec water through the gates.

The districts along the coast of Mahanadi river have been placed on high alert. The local administration is actively raising awareness among the people to ensure safety.

Floods have so far, affected about 5 lakh people. Relief operations for the affected are underway.