Hirakud Dam

About Hirakud Dam:

• It is the longest dam in India and the longest earthen dam in the world.
• Total Length: 25.79 km
• The dam is built across the river Mahanadi at about 15 km upstream of Sambalpur town in the state of Odisha.
• It is made of earth, concrete, and masonry.
• The dam forms a vast reservoir known as the Hirakud Reservoir or Hirakud Lake. It is the biggest artificial lake in Asia, with an area of 746 sq.km.
• This is one of the oldest hydel projects of India, being the first post-independence major multipurpose river valley project in the country. It was inaugurated in the year 1957.
• Purpose:
  • The project provides 1,55,635 hectares of Kharif and 1,08,385 ha of Rabi irrigation.
  • The installed capacity for power generation is 359.8 MW.
  • More than 436,000 hectares of land in the Mahanadi delta also get irrigated by the water which is released from the powerhouse. 
  • Besides, the project provides flood protection to 9500 sq. km of delta area.
• Cattle Island:
  • It is a small island in the Hirakud reservoir.
  • It is inhabited by a large herd of wild cattle, which are believed to be the descendants of cattle that were left behind by villagers when the dam was constructed in the 1950s.

Q1: Which are the main tributaries of the Mahanadi River?

Mahanadi rises from Raipur district of Chhattisgarh and flows for about 851 km before its outfall into the Bay of Bengal. Its main tributaries are the Seonath, the Jonk, the Hasdeo, the Mand, the ib, the Ong and the Tel.

Source: Six decade old canal system of Odisha’s Hirakud Dam to get facelift