📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Bndas
Weather
Hirakud Dam Opens 20 Gates as Mahanadi Flood Risk Rises in Odisha
✍️ Kanak News Odisha
🗓 27 Sep 2026, 10:02 AM
👁 11
Authorities at Hirakud Dam in Odisha opened 20 gates to manage rising water levels in the Mahanadi river, raising flood concerns downstream. Officials are monitoring the situation and have alerted nearby districts.
The Hirakud Dam, located on the Mahanadi river near Sambalpur, released water by opening twenty of its gates on Thursday. This action was taken after water levels in the reservoir rose due to heavy rainfall in the catchment area.
Opening the gates helps prevent overtopping of the dam and reduces pressure on the structure, but it also increases the flow downstream, raising the risk of flooding in low-lying areas along the river.
State disaster management teams have been deployed to monitor river levels and issue alerts to residents in vulnerable zones. Evacuation plans are on standby should water levels continue to rise.
Opening the gates helps prevent overtopping of the dam and reduces pressure on the structure, but it also increases the flow downstream, raising the risk of flooding in low-lying areas along the river.
State disaster management teams have been deployed to monitor river levels and issue alerts to residents in vulnerable zones. Evacuation plans are on standby should water levels continue to rise.