Officials Assess Flood Situation in Subarnarekha Basin

Bhubaneswar: Development Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary of the Water Resources Department, Anu Garg, today reviewed the flood situation in the Subarnarekha river basin in Balasore district. The assessment meeting was attended by the department’s Engineer-in-Chief, Chief Engineers, and other key officials.

Garg, accompanied by senior officials, discussed the ongoing rain and flood conditions in upstream areas with Prashant Kumar, Secretary of the Water Resources Department of Jharkhand. The water level of the Subarnarekha river at Rajghat has stabilized at 11.60 meters over the past two hours. The stability is attributed to the full moon, which has delayed water discharge due to high sea tides.

Chandrasekhar Padhi, Chief Engineer of the Water Resources Department, has been monitoring the flood situation in Balasore for the past two days. He reported that the water levels in the Jalaka and Budhabalang rivers have decreased and are now below the danger mark, standing at 6.6 meters and 6.94 meters respectively. Additionally, the Brahmani and Baitarani rivers are also flowing below their danger thresholds.

Garg reviewed the water levels of major reservoirs including Hirakud, Rengali, Upper Kolab, Bali Mela, and Lower Indravati, all of which are currently below critical levels. After a thorough analysis, Garg directed departmental officers and officials to maintain vigilance and advised the Balasore district officials to implement necessary precautionary measures.

The meeting also included discussions with Aarti Rout, Ashutosh Dash, Bijay Kumar Samal, and Sagar Mohanty, who provided updates on the situation and coordinated ongoing responses.