Sambalpur: Hirakud water flow: Sometimes it decreases in Chhattisgarh margin and sometimes it increases slightly
Sambalpur: Water management of the Hirakud Reservoir on the Mahanadi River in Odisha is somewhat at the discretion of the Chhattisgarh government in some year releases more water and in some year releases less. However, in 2021, the water flow to the Hirakud reservoir was drastically reduced. 26 percent of the water flow is less than the average flow rate of the last 62 years.
About 90 percent of the catchment area of Hirakud reservoir is in Chhattisgarh while the rest is in Odisha. During monsoon season (June to October) there is more water inflow to Hirakud reservoir while during non-monsoon season (November to May) the water flow to the reservoir is very less. According to the data of the Water Resources Department, during the monsoon season between 1958 and 2020, an average of 24.449 million acre feet of water flowed into the Hirakud reservoir annually. In 2021, however, only 74 percent of this, i.e. 18.108 million acre feet of water, entered the Hirakud Reservoir. During these 62 years, the highest water inflow was 71.419 million acre feet in 1961, while in 2000, due to rainfall, the lowest water inflow was only 8.287 million acre feet. But in 2020, the water flow was more than the average water flow of these 62 years. This year, 30 million 838 acre feet more water entered the Hirakud Reservoir. In the last monsoon season of 2022, the water flow is 26.666 million acre feet. Similarly, in the last non-monsoon season of 2019-20, 1.949 million acre feet of water was received, while in 2020-21, it was reduced to 1.185. In the last year 2021-22, during the non-monsoon season, 1.653 million acre feet of water has reached the Hirakud Reservoir. Similarly, in March 2022-23, 0.752 million acre feet of water has entered the Hirakud Reservoir.
Chhattisgarh government after storing water in barrages according to its requirement is releasing some residual water to Odisha river. There is a risk of flooding after receiving advance information from the Meteorological Department due to heavy rains in the Hirakud catchment area during the monsoon season. In such a situation, the government of Chhattisgarh does not hesitate to open all the gates of barrages suddenly and create danger for Odisha. On the other hand, in the non-monsoon season, the water flow of the river has been kept under control, and the barrages of Chhattisgarh have overflowed. On the other hand, the river in the lower Odisha region has dried up. The Chhattisgarh government is planning to transfer water from Gangrel Dam to Tandula Dam on the river. If this is implemented, there is a risk that the river of Odisha will dry up even during the rainy season in the coming days. And in this case the people of Odisha will have to face a terrible situation.
