Question

In which river the Hirakud project has been established?
A)Narmada
B)Mahanadi
C)Krishna
D)Kosi

Answer 1

Hint :It is considered to be the first river valley projects in India located about 290 kms from the city of Bhubaneswar close to the national highway number 6, i.e. NH6.

Complete answer :
‘Mahanadi’ river flows through the states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Orissa. It is the place where Hirakud dam is situated. It is built across 15 kilometers from Sambalpur, Orissa. The Hirakud reservoir is created behind the dam which is 55 km long. The history dates back in 1945 when under the chairmanship of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, a member of labor, decided to invest in regulating the Mahanadi river for multipurpose use. The construction was started in the year 1947 and opened in 1957. It is known to be the fourth largest and the longest significant earthen dam in India a height of 60.96 m, i.e. 200 feet and height of 4.8 km with an installed capacity of 347.5 megawatt. The Hirakud dam has three main canals, namely Bargarh Main Canal, Sason Canal and Sambalpur Canal.
The main aim of the dam was to check the massive floods, supply water for the purpose of irrigation and hydropower generation which affect a large part of the coastal Orissa.

The correct answer is Option B.

Note :The dam has also provided an ideal environment for the wildlife, i.e. the Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary where a variety of migratory birds species are found animals such as common pochard, red-crested pochard, great crested grebe etc. are found.