Mahanadi River
Mahanadi River is about 885 kms long, running through Central India.
Rising from Central Chattisgarh, it passes through Eastern Ghats
Mountains and ends at Bay Of Bengal, near Cuttack, Orissa. It forms a
Delta at the Bay of Bengal. The Mahanadi's catchment area is estimated
at 113,440 square kilometers. In the rainy season it carries an immense
amount of water, up to 51,000 cubic meters per second especially at at
the Naraj gorge.
As the river flows at high speed, the Rivers Tel and Hasdo contribute
as the main tributaries to the Mahanadi River. The Hirakund Dam, the
Worlds Highest Dam is constructed on Mahanadi. There is a high Gandhi
Tower for the introspection of the Dam. As this Dam is the lifeline of
Orissa, Mahanadi contributes a lot in fertilizing the chief crops –
oilseed, rice and sugarcane. The Hirakund Dam is also the main source of
running Hydroelectric Plant at Sambalpur. Though the
river flows at high speed, still in the months July to February,
one can navigate the river on boat.( In any case one should not go very
near Bay of Bengal, the point where Mahanadi merges in the Sea).
The drainage of the Mahanadi is shared by the Maharashtra, Chattisgarh,
Jharkhand and Orissa.
