Bhubaneswar: In view of the rising water level at Mundali in Mahanadi river, the Odisha SRC has alerted Collectors of several districts in this regard.

The Department of Water Resources reported a significant increase in water flow in the Mahanadi river at Mundali. By 8:00 AM on Friday, the river was carrying 5.78 lakh cusecs of water at Mundali. The Hirakud Dam's water level stood at 612.25 feet at 6:00 AM. The dam was discharging 286,136 cusecs of water at that time.

In response to the rising water levels, the SRC has issued a warning to the district Collectors in the lower catchment areas of the Mahanadi river, advising them to stay on high alert. The Collectors of Sambalpur, Sonepur, Nayagarh, Angul, Boudh, Puri, Khordha, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, and Kendrapara have been instructed to closely monitor the situation, with a focus on low-lying areas.

The SRC has also directed local authorities to restrict access to submerged roads, culverts, and bridges, and to report any emergencies immediately.

The water level in Hirakud Dam has risen sharply due to torrential rains in the upper catchment areas of the Mahanadi since Thursday evening. To manage the increased inflow, six additional sluice gates were opened on Friday morning, bringing the total number of gates releasing floodwater from the reservoir to 14.