Key Facts about Mahanadi River Basin

About Mahanadi River:

• It is one of the major east-flowing peninsular rivers in India.
• It ranks second to the Godavari River among the peninsular rivers in respect of water potential.
• It is considered to be one of the most active silt-depositing streams in India. 
• Course:
  • Origin: The river originates from the Sihawa range of hills in the Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh.
  • It flows in a southeastern direction through Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
  • Length: It flows a total of 860 km by distance before it ends up in the Bay of Bengal.
  • The catchment area of the basin extends over major parts of Chhattisgarh and Odisha and comparatively smaller portions of Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.
  • It passes through several major cities and towns, including Raipur, Sambalpur, and Cuttack.
• The Mahanadi basin extends over an area of 141,589 sq.km, which represents 4.3% of the total geographical area of the country.
• The river is bounded in the north by Central India hills, in the south and east by the Eastern Ghats, and in the west by the Maikal hill range.
• Tributaries: The main tributaries of Mahanadi are the Seonath River, Jonk River, HasdeoRiver, Mand River, Ib River, Ong River, and Telen River.
• Hirakud Dam:
  • The Hirakud Dam, the world's longest earthen dam (26 km), is constructed across the Mahanadi River, about 15 km from Sambalpur in Odisha.
  • The dam is used for irrigation, flood control, and power generation.
• Chilika Lake: Chilika, named a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, gets 61% of its inland flow from the Mahanadi River system, mainly from its distributaries - Daya and Bhargabi.

Q1: What is an earthen dam?

Earthen dams have been an essential part of human civilization for centuries, providing a reliable water source for agriculture, industry and domestic use. These dams are made from natural materials such as soil, sand, gravel and rock, making them a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution for water management.

Source: No flood threat in Mahanadi river system: Odisha official