Sambalpur, Jul 9: The Hirakud Dam in Odisha's Sambalpur district released the season's first floodwaters on Thursday after authorities opened four sluice gates at 11:00 am to regulate the rising reservoir level.

According to officials, the reservoir has crossed 615 feet, well above the prescribed Rule Curve level of 605 feet for July. To ensure the structural safety of the earthen dam, the authorities initiated the controlled release of excess water.

In the first phase, four sluice gates, including Gate No. 7, were opened, releasing around 70,000 cusecs of water into the Mahanadi River. The reservoir is currently receiving an inflow of nearly 2.20 lakh cusecs, prompting continuous monitoring of the water level.

The released floodwater is expected to reach Mundali near Cuttack within the next 36 hours. At present, approximately 2.50 lakh cusecs of water is already flowing through Mundali.

Chief Engineer of the Hirakud Dam assured that the present discharge will not trigger any flood situation in downstream areas. He said the gate operations will be regulated based on water levels in both upstream and downstream regions, and additional sluice gates may be opened if inflows continue to increase.

Senior district administration officials and Hirakud Project personnel were present during the gate-opening operation. Following long-standing tradition, special puja and bhajan rituals were performed before the sluice gate was opened.

Meanwhile, the Hirakud Dam authorities have issued a public advisory urging people to stay away from the Mahanadi riverbed, warning that water levels and river currents rise sharply during floodwater discharge, posing a serious risk to public safety.

Officials said the situation is being monitored round the clock, and further decisions on opening additional gates will be taken based on rainfall, inflow, and downstream river conditions.