By : Odishavisit
About 15 kilometres (9 miles) from Sambalpur in the state of Odisha on the Mahanadi, the Hirakud dam was constructed in India. Behind the dam is the 55 km (34 miles) long Hirakud reservoir lake. One of the first significant multipurpose river valley projects to be started following India's independence.
The government received the project report for the Hirakud dam in June 1947. On April 12, 1948, Jawaharlal Nehru poured the first batch of concrete.
Contrary to the scenario in the lower delta region where floods can harm crops, the higher drainage basin of the Mahanadi River, which is mainly on the Chhattisgarh plain, experiences occasional drought. By building a reservoir and using a drainage system to regulate river flow, DAMS were built to aid in the reduction of these issues.
The dam manages the Mahanadi's flow while generating hydroelectric power at numerous hydroelectric facilities. The dam irrigates land that is 75,000 km2 (19 106 acres) and aids in reducing floods in the Mahanadi delta. Additionally, hydroelectricity is produced.
The Mahanadi drainage is controlled by the Hirakud dam over an area of 83,400 km2 (20.6 106 acres). The reservoir has a storage capacity of 8.136 km3 (1.952 cubic miles) and a gross capacity of 8.136 km3 (1.396 cubic miles).
It drains into a region that is more than twice the size of Sri Lanka at 133,090 km 2 (32.89 106 acres).
In the districts of Sambalpur, Bargarh, Bolangir, and Subarnpur, this project offers irrigation for 1,556 km2 (384,000 acres) of kharif land and 148,000 acres of rabi land. The mega river delta's CCA of 4,360 km 2 (1.08 106 acres) is irrigated with water left over from the power station.