Bhubaneswar, Sept 2: A high flood situation is likely to develop in the Subarnarekha River late Wednesday, with the water level expected to rise to around 11.84 metres, nearly 1.5 metres above the danger mark, following heavy rainfall in Mayurbhanj and the upper catchment areas of Jharkhand.

The river had reached around 11.60 metres by 1 pm on Wednesday, against the danger level of 10.36 metres. Water Resources Department Engineer-in-Chief Dillip Kumar Rout said the water level could rise further and reach around 11.84 metres by 9 pm.

He said heavy rainfall in Jharkhand’s upper catchment areas, along with significant rainfall in Mayurbhanj on August 31 and September 1, had triggered the rise. Some areas of Mayurbhanj recorded around 300 mm of rainfall.

The department is closely monitoring inflows into the river and water releases from the Galudih Barrage in Jharkhand. The maximum discharge from the barrage was around 5,146 cubic metres per second (cumecs) at 8 pm on September 1, compared with nearly 6,600 cumecs during the previous flood.

Water released from the barrage takes around 24 hours to reach downstream areas, followed by another 12 hours to move further downstream. Four Baleshwar blocks—Jaleswar, Bhograi, Basta and Baliapal—face the risk of waterlogging. Authorities are maintaining close surveillance.

The river may remain above the danger mark until Thursday evening before gradually receding, though further upstream releases could affect the situation.

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