Bhubaneswar, July 9 -- The authorities have started opening six more sluice gates of the Hirakud dam in Odisha's Sambalpur to facilitate the controlled release of floodwater as inflow into the reservoir continues to rise.

Earlier in the day, four sluice gates were opened during the first phase of the operation to regulate the increasing water level in the reservoir. Following fresh instructions from the concerned authorities after reviewing the water inflow and reservoir conditions, the process of opening an additional six gates was initiated.

With the opening of these six gates, a total of ten sluice gates of the Hirakud Dam will remain open for the discharge of excess floodwater. The step has been taken as part of standard reservoir m...