Odisha Mahanadi Flood Alert: Five Districts Braced As Hirakud Dam Opens

The Odisha government issued a high-level flood alert for five districts on Saturday as the Mahanadi River reached critical levels. Authorities opened 22 sluice gates at the Hirakud Dam to release excess water following heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas of Chhattisgarh. Approximately seven lakh people across 20 districts are currently affected by the seasonal deluge, with the most severe impact expected in the coastal deltaic regions where the river's volume is peaking.

The current crisis stems from a week of relentless monsoon precipitation, which has saturated the soil and increased runoff into major reservoirs. The Hirakud Dam's management stated that the inflow had exceeded safety thresholds, necessitating a massive discharge. This release has caused the Mahanadi to overflow its banks, inundating low-lying gram panchayats and leading to the erosion of floodplains. In Cuttack, residents expressed grave concern as the water entered agricultural lands, threatening standing crops and rural infrastructure.

Local administration officials have commenced the evacuation of vulnerable populations to multi-purpose flood shelters. State rescue teams and fire services are on standby in Cuttack, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, and Khurda. Beyond the immediate threat to life, the recurring nature of these floods is causing significant long-term bank erosion, which shrinks habitable land for riverine communities. The state government is monitoring the situation hourly, coordinating with neighboring states to manage total water flow through the river system.