Things You Should Know About Hirakud Dam, The World’s Longest Dam

Situated 15 km upstream of Sambalpur district, the Hirakud Dam project is indeed a huge benchmark in the history of India, not only as a dam but also as the first-ever river valley project of independent India.

Hirakud Dam is the longest dam in the world

It stretches around 26 km that stands proudly as a colossal display of the agile and unbeatable technological achievement of independent India.

There is enough earth and concrete in the Dam to construct an 8 meters wide road that can cover the distance from Kanyakumari in the south to Kashmir in the north, and from Amritsar to Assam.

Mahanadi is a huge river estimated to be around 858 km long that majorly flows across the states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha and Madhya Pradesh marginally. At one point in time floods were frequent in Odisha due to which the infamous name “sorrow of Odisha” was given to Mahanadi.

It was imperative to control the devastating deluges of the river especially when the water flow of the river was generally equivalent to that of the Ganges in times of torrential downpours.

The Hirakud dam project was proposed by Sir M Visveswaraya

The construction began in 1948 and the dam was inaugurated in 1953 by India’s first Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru.

Structure and cost

The dam drains 75,000 sq. km. of land which is twice the area of Sri Lanka. It has 98 flood gates, 64 sliding gates, and 34 crest gates to release flood water, which indeed makes it the longest dam in the world.

Hirakud Dam is a 1000 million INR project that in today’s time would be worth some 500 billion INR.

Irrigation

Odisha is a fertile land, however, it is also undeniable that the lands besides good climatic conditions preferably need a good water supply for irrigation of crops. Although it was estimated to support 1,094,953 acres of land for the cultivation of Kharif and Rabi crops, currently Hirakud Dam supports 267,825 acres of Rabi crops and 384,582 acres of Kharif crops of Bargarh, Bolangir, Sambalpur, and Subarnapur. Several attempts are still made to enhance the water management system of the dam and the river.

Hydroelectricity

The dam produces hydroelectricity through several hydroelectric plants. The two major power plants are Burla and Chipilima. The dam generates 307.5MW power.

The Cattle Island

Cattle Island used to be a developed village once but during the settlement period prior to the construction of the dam, the people abandoned the village leaving the cattle behind. Some areas of the village submerged under the water while the cattle took to the hill top that turned into an island under the influence of the water.

Now the Island is inhabited by wild cattle that were once domestic, white in color, and much superior in size as compared to the normal tamed cattle. The island is situated on the far end of the reservoir and can be reached by a launch.

The lost temples

It is estimated that more than 200 temples were lost in the construction of the Dam. This makes the place great for archaeology enthusiasts and divers as they get the opportunity to explore the remains of forgotten history.

The waters of the Hirakud Dam provide excellent opportunities for archaeology buffs and scuba diving enthusiasts to. If you visit during the summer months the hidden temples are even visible during boating.

Site for migratory birds

Besides supporting vast agricultural land area and being the savior of floods, the Hirakud Dam is a fine site for migratory birds like the Common Pochard, Red Crested Pochard, and Great Crested Grebe.

Artificial lake

Both sides of the dam have earthen dykes that make Hirakud the largest artificial lake in India with two epic towers on each side. The “Gandhi Minar” and the “Nehru Minar” constructed with revolving platform patterns give a splendid panoramic view of the lake from above.

Best places to visit near Hirakud Dam

• Ghanteswari Temple
• Budhraja Temple
• Samaleswari Temple
• The Leaning Temple of Lord Shiva, Huma

Best time to visit the Hirakud Dam

The best time to visit the longest dam in India is from September to March- the weather is predominantly pleasant during this time.

Also read- 21 Fascinating Facts About Odisha That You Should Know