65 Years Later: New Mahanadi Gauge Station Set for Shiorinarayan to Fix Critical Flood Data Gap

Jharsuguda- After a 65-year hiatus, the Hirakud Dam authorities have issued a tender notice to establish a new gauge station at Shiorinarayan in Chhattisgarh, located in the upper reaches of the Mahanadi River.The initiative follows a recent high-level coordination meeting between the Odisha and Chhattisgarh governments aimed at resolving a decades-long water data gap. The original Shiorinarayan gauge station, established in 1961 to track rainfall and water flow, became entirely non-functional after being submerged by a barrage built upstream by Chhattisgarh.

The project will address crucial data gaps that impact flood forecasting for downstream Odisha.

• Estimated Cost: ₹38.50 lakh.
• New Location: 200 to 300 metres downstream of the existing Chhattisgarh barrage.
• Deadline: The application window for the fresh tender closed on the 21st of this month.

While the project is moving forward, former Engineer-in-Chief Er. Rabindra Panda cautioned that standard procedures require assessing local flood conditions for two to three years to ensure the new site yields accurate readings. A similar data blackout persists at Saradihi, where a second gauge station remains submerged.

While bureaucratic delays initially slowed progress, Pratap Chandra Choudhury, Chief Engineer of Hirakud Dam and Manager of the Upper Mahanadi Basin, confirmed that a technical report verifying the suitability of the new Saradih site has finally been received, clearing the path for subsequent data-sharing agreements.