Learn more about Mahanadi

The river Mahanadi is one of the predominant rivers in India. It is the most important river in East-Central India. It drains an area of about 51,000 square miles which is approximately 132,100 square kilometres. The river extends to a total length of about 900 kilometres. It originates from the district of Raipur in the state of Chhattisgarh. It passes through two major states of India. They are the states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha. The other smaller parts the river flows through are in the states of Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh. From these two states, the river combines in the Bay of Bengal. It flows for almost 851 kilometres before falling into the Bay of Bengal. 

Mahanadi’s river system

This river system is known to be ranked second in terms of water potential among the peninsular rivers. It is the biggest river that is situated in Odisha. The word ‘Mahanadi’ is a combination of two Sanskrit terms. They are ‘Maha’, which means great, and the term ‘Nadi’ means river. 

The Mahanadi River system 

• On the north side, it is surrounded by the Central India hills. 
• The south and east sides are guarded by the Eastern Ghats. In the west, by the Maikala range. 
• The Mahanadi river’s origin is in the mountain streams of Dhamtari. This is located in the district of Chhattisgarh. This location has an elevation of 442 metres.
• In the Indian subcontinent, it is known to be the highest active silt depositing river.
• It is known to be ranked second in terms of flood producing capacity. The first is the river Godavari.  
• At the mouth of the river, a place called Puri is located. It is known to be a popular pilgrimage site. 
• This river basin is circular with a diameter of 400 km and 60 km in breadth. 
• It receives about 90% of rainfall during the monsoon.
• The main soils found in this basin are red and yellow.

Etymology 

Over the various eras, the name of the river kept changing. The following table shows the names of this river in different eras.

Origin and its course 

The entire course of this river is divided into three parts: upper, middle and lower regions

• The origin and the upper course 

This river system is a combination of various streams in the mountains. The river’s origin is in the foothills of Dandakaranya. This is located in the district of Chhattisgarh. This location has an elevation of 442 metres.  

For about 100 kilometres, the river passes in the northern direction and drains the district of Raipur. It grazes the eastern parts of the Raipur district. The entire length of the valley is between 500 and 600 metres.

• The Middle course 

The river flows towards the east after joining Shivnath. It is later joined by rivers Jonk and Hasdeo before setting foot in Odisha. Close to Sambalpur, it is dammed by the Hirakud dam. 

Since the formation of the Chhattisgarh state, most of the Mahanadi basin lies here. Currently, about 169 sq km of the area lies in the state of Madhya Pradesh. 

It then circles the Baudh district boundaries and forces its way towards Odisha. At the Odisha plains of Najar, the river enters, which is situated about 14 kilometres from Cuttack. 

• Lower course 

Right before entering Cuttack, this river gives off Kathjori, a distributary. This distributary gives off many streams such as Kuakhai, Devi, and Surua. The entrance of this river is via various channels located near Paradeep at Jagatsinghpur. The combination of Brahmani and delta of Mahanadi’s distributaries is known to be one of the largest in India.  

Mahanadi and Its tributaries 

In this article, the features of the Mahanadi river were discussed. The upper course of the river system lies in the ‘Chhattisgarh Plain’. It is a saucer-shaped basin.

There are 2 main types of tributaries for this river. They are:

1. Left bank tributaries: these include the Seonath, the Hasedeo, the Mand, and the Ib.
2. Right bank tributaries: these include the Tel, Ong, and Jonk rivers.

• Seonath 

1. Origin: starts from the Panabaras hill and flows in the northeast direction.
2. Total length: 345 kilometres 
3. It feeds the industries and population of the Durg district

• Hasdeo 

1. Origin: Chhattisgarh 
2. Total length: 333 kilometres
3. Flows through south Chhattisgarh, along Bilaspur and the districts of Korba

• Mand 

1. This joins river Mahanadi in Chandrapur before it reaches Hirakud dam
2. Total length: 241 sq kilometre 
3. The Mand river dam is built in Raigarh district in Chhattisgarh 

• Ib

1. Origin: Raigarh 
2. Runs a distance of 252km 
3. Drains area: 12,447 sq km 
4. Famous for rich coal belt 

• Ong

1. Passes through Odisha and joins Mahanadi at Sambalpur
2. Drains area: 5124 sq km 

• Tel 

1. Origin: Nabarangpur 
2. Known as the second-largest river in Odisha

Conclusion  

This article focuses on learning more about Mahanadi. It drains an area of about 132,100 square kilometres. It passes through two major states of India- Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Its river system is known to be ranked second in terms of water potential among the peninsular rivers. The basin is circular with a diameter of 400 km and 60 km in breadth. The entire course of it is divided into 3 parts-upper, middle and lower regions. There are 2 main types of tributaries for this river-left bank tributary and right bank tributaries. It receives about 90% of rainfall during the monsoon. The main soils found in this basin are red and yellow.