Sambalpur: Even though the monsoon touched the state the state at the right time, it deceived Odisha. There are several districts that are yet to receive normal rainfall.
Similarly in Chhattisgarh also the monsoon has played truant. Rain amount in Chhattisgarh affects the water level in the Hirakud dam reservoir.
In June, the reservoir received 2.263 million acre-feet water as against the set calculated amount of 0.893 million acre-feet water. But, in July, 4.163 million acre-feet water entered the reservoir as against the set calculated amount of 5.419 million acre-feet.
The reservoir received more water in June but less in July. However, if compared to the past years, the water level in the reservoir till Monday is normal. In two months, the reservoir received a total of 6.426 million acre-feet water, informed the Hirakud dam authorities.
The Hirakud dam authorities keep a close coordination with the Chhattisgarh irrigation and as per their inputs the water from the Hirakud reservoir is released. Since Chhattisgarh received less rain, water is being released from the dam through fewer gates. The reservoir has the water level as laid out in the reservoir’s rule curve.
According to this, the reservoir should have minimum 590 to 595 feet in June, 590 to 600 feet July 1, 600 to 610 feet July 21, minimum 605 to 651 feet August 11.
And as per the Monday report, the dam’s water level was 605.27 feet. The water level of the dam was 607.15 August 3, 2019.
Sources said, it has been a common practice for Chhattisgarh and Odisha to have a water management meeting before monsoon. But this meeting has not been held as yet even though, in a letter, the government had asked the dam safety committee to convene the meeting in July last week.
The Hirakud reservoir has the capacity of holding water up to a minimum level of 590 feet and a maximum level of 630 feet water. The dam has 24.199 million acre-feet water all the year round, and from this water is provided to Burla power house, Chipilima power house, for cultivation and several companies.
In the months of June and July, 1.811 and 3.078 million acre-feet of water were released from the dam respectively.
In June, 0.794 million acre-feet water was released for power generation. In July, 0.809 million acre-feet water was released for the same purpose. Similarly, for cultivation purpose, 0.028 million acre-feet water was released in Sasan and Bargarh canals in June and in July this was 0.251 million acre-feet.
Hirakud dam authorities informed that 0.045 and 0.020 million acre-feet of water got evaporated from the dam in the months of June and July respectively.
PNN