Physical Geography Mahanadi River Context: Recently, ONGC commenced operations to drill its first deep-water appraisal well in the Mahanadi offshore basin. About the Mahanadi River It is one of the major east-flowing peninsular rivers of India. It flows primarily through the states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha. It is the third-largest peninsular river, following the Godavari and Krishna rivers. Course of the River Origin: Sihawa Hills in the Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh (at an elevation of approximately 442 meters above sea level). It begins as small streams at the foothills of the Dandakaranya range. It flows northward for about 100 km before turning eastward. It enters the plains of Odisha near Cuttack and forms a delta. Near Paradip Port, it splits into several distributaries and empties into the Bay of Bengal near 'False Point'. The city of Puri is located near one of its mouths, while Konark is situated a short distance away along the coast. Key Facts Total length: 860 km. Boundaries: North: Central Indian hills South and East: Eastern Ghats West: Maikal Hills The Mahanadi river basin encompasses Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and parts of Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh. It flows through major cities such as Raipur, Sambalpur, and Cuttack. It is one of the rivers in India that deposits significant amounts of alluvial soil. Major Tributaries Seonath, Jonk, Hasdeo, Mand, Ib, Ong, Tel Major Dams Hirakud Dam (Odisha), Gangrel Dam (Chhattisgarh), Tandula Dam (Chhattisgarh), Kalma Barrage (Odisha), Sondur Dam (Chhattisgarh), Hasdeo Bango Dam (Chhattisgarh). Connection with Chilika Lake Chilika Lake, a Ramsar wetland site, receives approximately 61 percent of its inland freshwater inflow from the Mahanadi river system; this occurs primarily through the distributaries known as the Daya and Bhargavi.
