Sambalpur: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday reviewed the flood situation of 10 districts of west Odisha and directed the officials to provide all help to the affected people, while the Hirakud dam authorities released its first floodwater from the reservoir.

"I have reviewed the flood situation of 10 districts and directed the officials to assess the loss and provide all assistance to the affected people," Naveen told reporters after the meeting at Jamadarpali airstrip.

The chief minister had a brief stopover here on his way to Sonepur to attend the Green Mahanadi plantation programme. Sambalpur and Rengali MLAs Raseswari Panigrahi and Ramesh Phatua, respectively, as well as senior officials such as revenue divisional commissioner D.V. Swami and collector Samarth Verma attended the meeting.

The Hirakud dam authorities on Tuesday released the first floodwater of the season from the reservoir after performing ceremonial puja and chanting of mantras. The dam's chief engineer Jyotirmaya Rath opened the first sluice gate (no. 7). Large number of people and officials, including MLA Panigrahi and collector Verma attended the opening ceremony.

Thousands of people came from various parts of the district to witness the release of water from the dam. People were seen taking photographs and selfies with the dam on their background. Total 15 gates will be opened, and till 5pm, eight gates were opened, dam sources said. Each gates releases about 15,000 cusecs of water.

"We have planned to reduce the present water level of 618.08 feet to 610 feet slowly. As there is no rain in upper and lower catchment areas, there is no chance of floods in the downstream," the dam's superintending engineer B.R. Mohanty said.

The dam authorities normally opens the gates in the last week of July to maintain the water level around 610 feet against the total storage capacity of 630 feet. As there was heavy rain and flood-like situation in the downstream, they allowed the level to rise. The dam authorities had requested the people living on the Mahanadi banks and the low-lying areas to move to safer places in view of the release of floodwater.

In another development, District emergency officer Sanjeev Pujari said the people, who had to be shifted to 34 relief camps for the Sambalpur floods, returned to their houses. Only one relief camp at Babubandh near Gosala under Dhankauda block is continuing, he said. The district revenue officials coming under various tehsils have been instructed to submit total damage report from their respective areas, Pujari said.