Hirakud Dam Opens 7 Gates as Water Level Rises

Bhubaneswar: Authorities at Hirakud Dam opened five additional sluice gates on August 17, raising the total to seven, as the reservoir level climbed to 619 ft.

The move comes amid heavy inflow of 1,71,478 cusecs against an outflow of 66,009 cusecs.

Of the outflow, 31,038 cusecs were discharged through the spillway and 30,633 cusecs via the power channel, with the remainder allocated for irrigation and industrial use.

The reservoir’s live storage stood at 2.320 million acre‑feet, about 59% of its full capacity.

Power generation at Burla and Chiplima reached 271.875 MW, reflecting the increased water release.

Dam authorities are closely monitoring the situation and have activated flood management protocols to safeguard downstream regions.