What do you know about the Mahanadi river and Krishna river??
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Mahanadi River
The Mahanadi basin extends over states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha and comparatively smaller portions of Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, draining an area of 1.4 lakh Sq.km.
The Mahanadi (“Great River”) follows a total course of 560 miles (900 km).
It has its source in the northern foothills of Dandakaranya in Raipur District of Chhattisgarh at an elevation of 442 m.
The Mahanadi is one of the major rivers of the peninsular rivers, in water potential and flood producing capacity, it ranks second to the Godavari.
Other small streams between the Mahanadi and the Rushikulya draining directly into the Chilka Lake also forms the part of the basin.
The major part of basin is covered with agricultural land accounting to 54.27% of the total area.
It is one of the most-active silt-depositing streams in the Indian subcontinent.
After receiving the Seonath River, it turns east and enters Odisha state.
At Sambalpur the Hirakud Dam (one of the largest dams in India) on the river has formed a man-made lake 35 miles (55 km) long.
It enters the Odisha plains near Cuttack and enters the Bay of Bengal at False Point by several channels.
Puri, at one of its mouths, is a famous pilgrimage sites.
Tributaries of Mahanadi River
Its upper course lies in the saucer-shaped basin called the ‘Chhattisgarh Plain’.
This basin is surrounded by hills on the north, west and south as a result of which a large number of tributaries join the main river from these sides.
Left bank Tributaries: The Seonath, the Hasdeo, the Mand and the Ib.
Right bank Tributaries: The Ong, the Tel and the Jonk.
Projects on Mahanadi River
Two important projects completed during pre-plan period in the basin are the Mahanadi main canal and Tandula reservoir in Chhattisgarh.
During the plan period, the Hirakud dam, Mahanadi delta project, Hasdeo Bango, Mahanadi Reservoir Project were completed.
Industry in Mahanadi River Basin
Three important urban centes in the basin are Raipur, Durg and Cuttack.
Mahanadi basin, because of its rich mineral resource and adequate power resource, has a favorable industrial climate.
The Important industries presently existing in the basin are the Iron and Steel plant at Bhilai, aluminium factories at Hirakud and Korba, paper mill near Cuttack and cement factory at Sundargarh.
Other industries based primarily on agricultural produce are sugar and textile mills.