On Saturday, August 1, authorities issued a high alert for ten districts in Odisha located along the Mahanadi river as the Hirakud Dam continued to release water through 22 gates, leading to flooding in low-lying regions, according to officials.

More than 834,000 individuals across 20 districts have been impacted by the floods, with significant damage to civic infrastructure and agricultural land. Flooding from the overflowing Salangi, Brahmani, Baitarani, Jalaka, and Budhabalang rivers has resulted in over 1,300 houses being damaged in northern Odisha, with Bhadrak being the most severely affected area, followed by Jajpur, Balasore, and Mayurbhanj.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi conducted an aerial survey of the flood-affected regions along with Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari and other senior officials.

The districts on high alert within the Mahanadi basin include Cuttack, Puri, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Angul, Boudh, Sambalpur, Subarnapur, and Nayagarh. Cuttack, Puri, Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, and Kendrapada are particularly at risk due to their positions in the Mahanadi delta.

As of now, the water level at Hirakud Dam has reached 625.47 feet, just below its maximum capacity of 630 feet. The reservoir is experiencing an inflow of approximately 415,000 cusecs, while the average outflow is reported to be 389,603 cusecs.

Minister Pujari mentioned that conditions could improve soon as there has been a lack of rainfall over the past two days, and the water discharge from the dam seems to have stabilized.

Furthermore, the water level at the Mundali barrage near Cuttack has decreased to around 700,000 cusecs, down from 888,000 cusecs recorded on Thursday night, according to officials.