The New Indian Express ·
Reservoirs swell as heavy rains lash Odisha's Malkangiri district
MALKANGIRI : Incessant rainfall over the last 24 hours has triggered a heavy inflow into major reservoirs in Malkangiri district.
According to the district emergency office here, Malkangiri block received the highest rainfall of 122.6 mm in the last 24 hours ending at 8 am on Friday. It was followed by Mathili with 110 mm, Korukonda 94 mm, Khairput 82 mm, Chitrakonda 69 mm, Kalimela 35 mm and Podia 12.2 mm.
The Balimela dam project at Chitrakonda recorded 84 mm rainfall during the last 24 hours. Its reservoir level stood at 1,477.20 ft against the full reservoir level (FRL) of 1,516 ft. Balimela recorded an inflow of 473.0499 million cubic feet (mcft) and an outflow of 113.0499 mcft.
The live storage of the dam stood at 34,390 mcft compared to 49,665 mcft during the corresponding period last year. Odisha’s drawal stood at 102.6327 mcft while there was no drawal by Andhra Pradesh. None of the reservoir’s 10 spillway gates was opened.
Similarly, the Satiguda medium irrigation project recorded 116 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours. The reservoir level stood at 191.25 metre against its FRL of 192.63 metre, compared to 191.10 metre during the corresponding period last year.
The reservoir’s live storage stood at 5,282 hectare-metre against 5,123 hectare-metre during the corresponding period last year. It recorded an inflow of 36.11 cumec, while there was no outflow through the spillway or the left and right main canals.
An official said with persistent rain increasing inflows into reservoirs and waterlogging low-lying pockets, the administration is keeping a close watch on the situation, particularly in vulnerable riverside areas. No major crop damage has been reported so far. However, continuous rainfall could pose a threat to standing paddy crops in low-lying areas and agricultural fields along riverbanks.