Hirakud dam
Topic: Water Resources of India: Availability, Use and Conservation · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 3 "Water Resources"; Class 12, Ch 4 "Water Resources"
Meaning
The Hirakud dam is a multipurpose dam on the Mahanadi. It was inaugurated in 1957. It is among the world's longest earthen dams, meaning it is built mainly of packed earth, not concrete. It stores river water for irrigation and power. It also controls the floods that used to hit the Mahanadi delta.
Example
The Hirakud dam stands near Sambalpur in Odisha. Its reservoir holds back Mahanadi floodwater and supplies irrigation to the plains below.
Don't confuse with
- Bhakra dam: this is a tall concrete dam on the Satluj in Himachal Pradesh. Hirakud is a very long earthen dam on the Mahanadi in Odisha.
Related concepts
- Multipurpose river project
- Temples of modern India
- Bhakra-Nangal project
- Damodar Valley Corporation
- Sardar Sarovar project
- Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project