Rivers Of Orissa
Rivers Of Orissa The major rivers of Orissa from north to south are the subamarekha, the Burhabalanga, the Baitarani, the Brahmani, the Mahanadi and the Rushikulya. The smaller ones are the Salandi, the Vamsadhara, the Nagavali, the Kolab, the lndravati, the Sileru, the Sabari and the Poteru. The biggest and the most important ri ver flowing through the heart-land of Orissa is the Mahanadi with a length of 853kms. It originates from the Maikal range in Chhatisgarh, popularly known as the Amarkantak plateau which was once a part of Orissa, and enters modern Orissa northwest in the Sambalpur district near Padigan a little above Hirakud.
At Hirakud, the longest earth dam in the world has been built across the river as a multipurpose river valley project with an installed capacity of 4,75,00 kms. hydel power and irrigation facility for 35,486 hectares of land, besides the basic function of flood control. From Sambalpur the Mahanadi flows through Sonepur and Boudh districts. From Sunakhania in Boudh to Baramula in Daspalla along a distance of 14 miles it flows cutting through the rock strata of the Eastern Ghats forming a gorge, which after the length of its span goes by the name of ‘ Sat-Kosi a Gorge’. At Naraj, the river divides itself into two branches, the Mahanadi and the Kathajodi, which encompass the city of Cuttack on both sides.
