Hirakud Reservoir

Subject – Geography

Context – Odisha plans ‘odyssey’ to wild cattle island. Hirakud reservoir to open for ecotourism.

Concept –

It is a multipurpose scheme conceived by Er. M. Visveswaraya in 1937, after recurrence of devastating floods in Mahanadi river. Its first hydro power was commissioned in 1956.
Hirakud Dam is built across the Mahanadi River, close to Sambalpur city in Odisha in India.
Type: It is a composite structure of earth, concrete and masonry. It is the longest major earthen dam in India.
Background: It is one of the first major multipurpose river valley projects started after India’s independence and began operations in 1957.
With successful irrigation provided by the dam, Sambalpur is called the rice bowl of Odisha.

Mahanadi River

- The Mahanadi River system is the third largest of peninsular India after Godavari and Krishna, and the largest river of Odisha state.
- The catchment area of the river extends to Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.
- Its basin is bounded by the Central India hills on the north, by the Eastern Ghats on the south and east and by the Maikala range on the west.
Source -It rises from a place near Sihawa in Bastar hills in the state of Chhattisgarh to the south of Amarkantak.
Major Tributaries of the Mahanadi river
- Seonath River
- Hasdeo River
- Mand River
- Ib River
- Jonking River
- Tel River