Hirakud Dam to Release First Floodwater of Monsoon on Thursday

Sambalpur: The Hirakud Dam authorities will begin releasing floodwater for the first time this monsoon season on Thursday at 11 AM. Four gates will be opened initially, with outflow gradually increased to one lakh cusecs in phases.

At present, the reservoir level stands at 611.23 feet, with an inflow of 2.62 lakh cusecs.

Officials assured that downstream areas face no immediate flood threat, as outflow at Mundali has already reduced from 5.54 lakh cusecs to 4.80 lakh cusecs and is expected to decline further.

The release is part of routine reservoir management to balance inflow and outflow during heavy rains.

A high‑level Flood Crisis Management Team meeting is underway in Sambalpur, chaired by the Central Water Commission, with engineers from Odisha and Chhattisgarh coordinating operations.

The Water Resources Department continues to monitor rainfall, inflow, and river discharge to adjust operations as needed.