BHUBANESWAR: All eyes are on the Hirakud and many districts have been put on high alert. As Chhattisgarh, pounded by incessant rains, pumped more and more water into the river on Thursday, 53 of the 64 sluice gates were flung open. The Orissa Government has kept a close watch awaiting anxiously its impact downstream as inundation was already reported from Boudh, Cuttack, Kendrapara and Sambalpur. With about 11-13 lakh cusec water likely to pass Munduli barrage by Friday evening, the Government has begun evacuation of population from low-lying areas as inundation is imminent in at least seven coastal districts. The Navy has been alerted for helicopters and Home Ministry too kept in the loop for possible assistance. Torrential rain in the neighbouring state aggravated the situation and prompted the Hirakud Dam authorities to open as many as 53 sluice gates by Thursday evening. A mind-boggling 9.65 lakh cusec water was flowing into the reservoir while the outflow had risen to 8.88 lakh. The water level in the reservoir stood at 627.5 ft against a full level of 630 ft. Alarmed by the situation, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik convened an emergency meeting where he took stock of the preparedness. He directed all the collectors to issue emergency relief for seven days in the affected areas. Eleven Collectors, who were in the City, to attend the collectors’ conference, were allowed to rush back to their headquarters. While intensity of rains declined in downstream of Mahanadi, it was Chhattisgarh which caused the concern. Kelo, a pocket in upper basin of Mahanadi had received a whopping 48.5 cm rain in the last 24 hours. Similar reports of very heavy downpour came in from other parts of Chhattisgarh. “We could build up the storage in Hirakud reservoir till 629 ft beyond which more gates may have to be opened but we are in a state of preparedness to meet the exigencies,” Special Relief Commissioner PK Mohapatra informed. If more gates are opened, inundation is imminent in the downstream. Another cause of worry is the full moon day on September 12 (Monday) which will slow down discharge of water into Bay of Bengal flooding the low-lying areas. If more water is discharged in the meantime, the misery would only compound further.With the situation reaching a critical point, both Orissa and Chhattishgarh governments are in constant touch. “Battered by the rains, Chhattisgarh Government has requested Orissa to open more gates of Hirakud but we are keeping a close watch on the flow situation,” sources in the Water Resources Department said.On Wednesday night, the dam authorities opened just 36 gates which checked the flow in the downstream but more inflow forced them to increase the number (gates) sharply on Thursday morning. The India Meteorological Department suggested that the low pressure, which was lying over Chhattisgarh, is tilting towards Gangetic West Bengal and Jharkhand.
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