Mahanadi Discharge Rises, Flood Alert Issued for Coastal Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The discharge of water from Hirakud reservoir has surged at Mundali barrage, crossing 6 lakh cusec by noon and expected to reach 6.7 lakh cusec by evening.

Authorities have issued a flood alert for Khordha, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, and Puri districts, warning of possible inundation in low‑lying and agricultural areas.

Nineteen sluice gates of Hirakud dam were opened to release excess water, with the reservoir level recorded at 623 ft against its full capacity of 630 ft.

The flood is expected to remain in the river system for nearly 10 hours before draining into the Bay of Bengal.

The rising waters have already entered the premises of Maa Charchika temple in Badamba, prompting arrangements to shift the deity.

Meanwhile, other rivers including Baitarani, Brahmani, Subarnarekha, and Salandi remain below warning levels.

Between August 13–26, more than 13.5 lakh people across 10 districts were affected by floods, with Kendrapada, Bhadrak, and Jajpur facing repeated inundation since July.

Relief operations are underway with 57 teams from ODRAF, NDRF, Fire Services, and police deployed.

Odisha has received 16.4% above‑normal rainfall this month, while seasonal rainfall since June is nearly 31% above average.

The IMD has issued yellow and orange warnings for heavy rainfall between August 27 and September 2, with intensity expected to increase from August 29.