Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Water Resources Department has warned that the flood discharge in the Mahanadi river system is expected to peak at 9.5 lakh cusecs at the Mundali barrage by Thursday evening, prompting heightened vigilance in several downstream districts.

Engineer-in-Chief of the Water Resources Department, Dillip Kumar Rout, said the flood situation is being closely monitored and described the expected peak as the largest flood event in the Mahanadi basin this monsoon season, though it is likely to remain a medium-level flood.

"At 6 a.m., around 8 lakh cusecs of floodwater was passing through the Mundali barrage in Cuttack. The discharge remained steady at about 8.13 lakh cusecs for nearly four hours. By noon, it had increased to 8.28 lakh cusecs, and we expect the peak flow to reach around 9.5 lakh cusecs by Thursday evening," Rout said.

He noted that while Odisha has experienced much larger floods in the past, including flows of 10 lakh and 12 lakh cusecs, authorities cannot afford to lower their guard.

Medium flood expected in Mahanadi basin

With discharge expected to cross 9 lakh cusecs, floodwaters are likely to spread across the Mahanadi and its distributary rivers, including the Luna, Karandia, Chitrotpala, Paika, Salia, Devi, Kandala, Kuakhai, Kushabhadra, Daya and Bhargavi.

Rout said the districts likely to witness the maximum impact are Khordha, Puri, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara.

"Our priority is to ensure there is no breach in embankments and zero human casualties. Waterlogging in low-lying areas remains a concern and cannot be ignored," he said.

He added that experienced officials who have previously handled flood emergencies have been deployed in vulnerable districts to oversee flood management.

Government steps up preparedness

Rout said the Disaster Management Minister has already held discussions with district collectors and directed them to take all necessary measures to deal with the evolving flood situation.

The state administration has intensified surveillance of embankments, evacuation preparedness and relief arrangements in vulnerable areas.

Situation improving in Baitarani, stable in Salandi and Jalaka

Providing an update on other river systems, Rout said floodwaters in the Baitarani River have started receding.

The river had crossed its danger level of 18.33 metres, reaching 19.4 metres on Tuesday night before falling by around 1.5 metres at Akhuapada. However, many villages continue to remain marooned.

He attributed the slow drainage of floodwater to the full moon, which has delayed the discharge of river water into the sea.

The flood situation in the Salandi River remains stable. No gates of the Hadagarh Dam have been opened, though the water level at the Rajghat Bridge in Bhadrak stands at 18.8 metres, above the danger level of 17 metres.

Similarly, the Jalaka River has maintained a water level of 6.72 metres over the past two days, exceeding its danger level of 6.05 metres.

Although rainfall has reduced significantly in the upper catchments of the Brahmani, Baitarani and Jalaka rivers, Rout cautioned that waterlogging continues to affect many low-lying villages and the situation will take time to improve as floodwaters gradually recede.