Sambalpur: As many as 10 more gates of the Hirakud Dam in Odisha's Sambalpur were opened on Friday following a rise in the reservoir's water level due to heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas.

Water was being released through a total of 12 gates of the dam to regulate the increasing inflow.

The water level in the Hirakud reservoir stood at 623.52 feet. The dam was receiving an inflow of 3,69,322 cusecs of water per second, while 65,543 cusecs were being discharged downstream every second.

The release is set to raise the water level of the Mahanadi River downstream. Authorities have advised people living in low-lying areas to remain alert.

At 11 am, the water level of the river stood at 26.48 metres at Naraj against the danger level of 26.41 metres.