Bhubaneswar, July 8 -- The water level in the Hirakud Reservoir in Odisha continued to rise on Wednesday, prompting authorities to announce the release of the season's first floodwater from the dam at 11 am on Thursday. The decision comes amid a steady increase in inflow following continuous rainfall in the upper catchment areas of the Mahanadi basin.

According to official data, the reservoir's water level stood at 611.23 feet as of 9 am on Wednesday. The dam is receiving an average inflow of 2,62,755 cusecs of water every second, while 30,044 cusecs is currently being discharged to maintain the reservoir level.

With inflow increasing steadily, the Water Resources Department has decided to release floodwater from the dam for the first t...