Sambalpur, July 25: The Hirakud Dam authorities on Thursday said it will open the sluice gates of the dam on July 28 to release the season’s first floodwater from the reservoir.

The decision was taken following the heavy rainfall in the upper catchment area of the Mahanadi River in the last couple of days, a senior official said.

An alert has been sounded in districts downstream of Mahanadi in this regard, he added.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast that heavy rainfall will continue to lash Sambalpur, Bargarh, Subarnapur and several other districts for the next five days. 

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