Bhubaneswar, 02 September (H.S.): A high flood situation is likely to develop in the Subarnarekha River late Wednesday as the water level is forecast to rise to around 11.84 metres, nearly 1.5 metres above the danger mark, following heavy rainfall in Mayurbhanj district and the upper catchment areas of Jharkhand, a senior Water Resources Department official said.

The river’s water level had risen to around 11.60 metres by 1 pm on Wednesday, against the danger level of 10.36 metres. Water Resources Department Engineer-in-Chief Dillip Kumar Rout said the level was expected to rise further and could reach around 11.84 metres by 9 pm.

Rout attributed the rising water level to heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas, particularly Jharkhand, along with significant rainfall recorded in Mayurbhanj on August 31 and September 1.

“Mayurbhanj received heavy rainfall, with around 300 mm recorded in some areas, including Betnoti. There was also heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas of Jharkhand,” Rout said.

The Water Resources Department is closely monitoring the inflow into the Subarnarekha as well as water releases from the Galudih Barrage in Jharkhand.

According to Rout, the maximum discharge from the barrage was around 5,146 cubic metres per second (cumecs) at about 8 pm on September 1. This was lower than the approximately 6,600 cumecs recorded during the previous flood situation.

The department estimates that water released from the barrage takes nearly 24 hours to reach downstream areas, while another 12 hours may be required for the water to move further downstream.

The rising river level has put four blocks in Balasore district—Jaleswar, Bhograi, Basta and Baliapal—at risk of waterlogging. The Water Resources Department is closely monitoring the situation in these areas and assessing the impact of further inflows from the upper catchment.

Rout said the Subarnarekha water level could remain above the danger mark until Thursday evening before gradually receding. However, any further water release from the upper catchment areas could affect the situation.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda