Mahanadi
Mahanadi River | |
---|---|
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Nagri-Sihawa, Dhamtari, Dandakaranya, Chhattisgarh, India |
• coordinates | 20°07′N 81°55′E / 20.11°N 81.91°E |
• elevation | 890 m (2,920 ft) |
Mouth | |
• location | False Point, Jagatsinghpur, Delta, Odisha, India |
• coordinates | 20°17′43″N 86°42′39″E / 20.29528°N 86.71083°E |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
Length | 900 km (560 mi)[1] |
Basin size | 132,100 km2 (51,000 sq mi)[1] |
Discharge | |
• location | False Point, Odisha |
• minimum | 31.9 m3/s (1,125 cu ft/s)[2] |
• maximum | 56,700 m3/s (2,000,000 cu ft/s)[2] |
Basin features | |
Tributaries | |
• left | |
• right | Ong, parry, Jonk, Telen |
The Mahanadi River is a major river in East Central India. It drains an area of around 132,100 square kilometres (51,000 sq mi) and has a total length of 900 kilometres (560 mi). Mahanadi is also known for the Hirakud Dam[1] which was the first major multipurpose river valley project after India's independence in 1947. The river flows through the states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha and before finally ending in the Bay of Bengal.
Etymology
The word Mahanadi is a compound of the Sanskrit words maha ("great") and nadi ("river").[3]
In different era, this river was known by several names, such as:
- Ancient era – Kanaknandini
- Dvapara Yuga – Chitrotpala (Similar name in Matsya Purana)
- Treta Yuga – Nilotpala (Similar name in vayu Purana)
- Mahabharata era – Mahanad
- Kali Yuga – Mahanadi or Mahashweta
Course
Source and Upper Course
Like many other
For the first 100 kilometres (62 mi) of its course, the Mahanadi flows in a northerly direction and drains the Raipur district and touches eastern portions of Raipur city. It is a rather narrow river at this stage and the total width of its valley does not exceed 500–600 metres.
Middle course
After being joined by the
After the formation of Chhattisgarh State, the major portion of Mahanadi basin now lies in Chhattisgarh. Presently, only 169 square kilometres (65 sq mi) basin area of Hasdeo River in Anuppur District lies in Madhya Pradesh.
Before the construction of the dam in 1953, the Mahanadi was about a mile wide at Sambalpur and carried massive amounts of silt, especially during the
Lower Course
The river traverses the
Prior to the construction of Hirakud Dam, the Mahanadi was navigable from its mouth up to Arrang, about a 250 kilometres (160 mi) from its source. However numerous barrages apart from the Hirakud have put an end to that. Today, boats are restricted to the delta region and the Hirakud reservoir.[6][9] Fresh water crocodiles, Ganges and Bull sharks frequent Mahanadi.
Trade and agriculture
The Mahanadi is an important river in the state of Odisha. This river flows slowly for about 900 kilometres (560 mi) and deposits more silt than any other river in the Indian subcontinent.
The cities of Cuttack and Sambalpur were prominent trading places in the ancient world and the river itself has been referred to as the Manada in Ptolemy's works.[10] However today the Mahanadi valley is best known for its fertile soil and flourishing agriculture.[11]
Water
Average annual surface water potential of 66.9 km3 has been assessed in this basin. Out of this, 50.0 km3 is usable water. Culturable area in the basin is about 80,000 square kilometres (31,000 sq mi), which is 4% of the total culturable area of the country.
Present use of surface water in the basin is 17.0 km3. Live storage capacity in the basin has increased significantly since independence. From just about 0.8 km3 in the pre-plan period, the total live storage capacity of the completed projects has increased to 8.5 km3. In addition, a substantial storage quantity of over 5.4 km3 would be created on completion of projects under construction. Additional storage to the tune of over 11.0 km3 would become available on execution of projects under consideration. The hydropower potential of the basin has been assessed as 627 MW at 60% load factor.[12]
At its peak during the monsoon, the Mahanadi has a discharge rate of 2,000,000 cubic feet (57,000 m3) per second,[2] almost as much as the much larger Ganges. However owing to its seasonal nature the river is mostly a narrow channel flanked by wide sand banks for most of the year.[13]
Floods
The Mahanadi was notorious for its devastating floods for much of recorded history. Thus it was called 'the sorrow of Orissa'. However the construction of the Hirakud Dam has greatly altered the situation. Today a network of canals, barrages and check dams keep the river well in control. However heavy rain can still cause large scale flooding as evidenced in September, 2008 when 16 people died as the river breached its banks.
In 2011, September heavy down pour of rain caused flash flood and many mud dwellings in more than 25 villages above Hirakud Dam which were never affected before, both in Chhattisgarh and Odisha, have melted down due to back water that could not pass through the river.[14]
See also
- The river depiction in the 1994 Tamil film Mahanadi
References
- ^ a b c "Mahanadi River (river, India)". britannica.com. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Imperial Gazetteer2 of India, Volume 16, p. 431 – Imperial Gazetteer of India – Digital South Asia Library". dsal.uchicago.edu.
- ^ Dharmendra Nath Shastri (1973). Studies in indology. Institute of Indology. p. 146.
- ISBN 978-1-4020-5180-7– via Google Books.
- ^ a b [1] Archived November 2, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Details About Mahanadi River". Archived from the original on 2012-12-01.
- ISBN 978-981-10-2984-4.
- ISBN 978-9811029844. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
- ^ "Imperial Gazetteer2 of India, Volume 16, p. 432 – Imperial Gazetteer of India – Digital South Asia Library". dsal.uchicago.edu.
- ^ McCrindle, J.W. (1885). Ancient India as Described by Ptolemy. Thacker, Spink, & Company. p. 71. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
- ^ "Mahanadi".
{{cite web}}
: Missing or empty|url=
(help) - ^ "Major and Medium Projects in the Mahanadi Basin". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
- ^ "India: The Water Carriers". Archived from the original on 2012-11-22.
- ^ "Orissa floods: Mahanadi in spate, 14 lakh affected". 12 September 2011.
Further reading
- The Imperial Gazetteer of India, William Hunter, 1901
- The Encyclopædia Britannica 1911 Ed.
- The Columbus Encyclopedia