Indias Mega Projects: How Hirakud Dam Became The Worlds Longest Dam?

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India's Mega Projects: How Hirakud Dam Became The World's Longest Dam?

Hirakud Dam is built across the Mahanadi River, about 15 kilometres (9 mi) from Sambalpur in the state of Odisha in India. It is the longest dam in the world. It is one of the first multipurpose projects by India, after independence.

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The Hirakud Dam, built across the Mahanadi River, is the longest in the world, with a length of 4.8 km. It was one of the first initial projects that an independent India undertook. The first Prime Minister of the country, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, put the first piece of concrete of the dam on April 12, 1948. For adequate supervision, Mazumdar Committee was appointed to check the technical soundness and the feasibility of the project, which cost more than US$ 1 Billion in ancient times. Initially, the Committee had pegged the cost at nearly ₹94 crores and predicted the dam's completion by June 1955.

Surprisingly, the dam was completed by 1953, and Pandit Nehru formally inaugurated the dam project on January 12, 1957. However, the dam had begun power generation and agricultural irrigation, and the dam was fully functioning only by 1966. Located at 10 km from Odisha's Sambalpur district, Hirakud is the longest earthen dam in India. A dam constructed of earth material (such as gravel, broken weathered rock, sand, silt, or soil). It has a core of clay or other impervious material and rock facing riprap to protect against wave erosion. The Hirakud dam has two observational towers, named 'Gandhi Minar' and 'Jawahar Minar'.

What Was The Purpose Oh Hirakud Dam?

The Hirakud dam served a dual purpose. On the one hand, the upper drainage basin of the Mahanadi River, located in the Chhattisgarh Plain, suffers from periodic drought; on the other hand, there is a high risk of crop damage due to floods in the lower delta region. The dam's primary purpose was to get rid of the problems by constructing the reservoir and controlling the flow of the river through the drainage system. While the dam regulates the flow of the Mahanadi River, several hydroelectric plants help in power generation. The barrier does not only help to control flooding in the river during the rainy season but also helps in irrigating over 75,000 square km of area.

While the dam regulates an area of 83,400 square kilometres of the Mahanadi River, it also drains an area of 133,090 square kilometres, which is twice the area of Sri Lanka. Moreover, the dam provides irrigation for thousands of square kilometres of Kharif and Rabi crops in districts of Sambalpur, Bargarh, Bolangir, and Subarnpur. The Chiplima project gained prominence as the second hydroelectric project of the Hirakud dam. The nearby region is inhabited by fishermen who worship the Ghanteshwari deity. The livestock farm and the agricultural farm of the state are located in the area.

The massive dam project has three canals: the Bargarh Main Canal, the Sason Canal, and the Sambalpur Canal. The latest statistics show that the dam's capacity has reduced by more than 28 per cent due to siltation. Therefore, several plans have been discussed for an inter-basin water transfer as part of India's ambitious Indian Rivers Inter-link.

While the dam's primary purpose was to alleviate the problem of flooding, the construction of such a massive dam project led to the displacement of several natives in Western Odisha. More than 1,50,000 people were affected due to the structure, and more than 22,000 families were displaced. Initially, the government had decided to allocate more than $120 million to the affected families; the revised accounts show an allocation of a little more than $95 million. However, locals testify that only $33.2 million was disbursed. Hundreds of families that were displaced from 1956 onwards still await their compensation.

Lost Heritage Of The Submerged Temples

During the summer season, the dam's water recedes, bringing to light the remnants of the temples that were submerged in the 20th century during the construction of the Hirakud dam. In the decades following the dam's construction, several historians noticed the significance of those temples and took an interest in understanding their history. Even though many temples have become extinct due to their underwater existence for several decades, a few temples remain intact. Historians developed an interest in these temples only after two stones appeared with 'Shila Lekha' etched on them. The rocks are believed to have been a part of the Padmaseni temple of submerged Padmapur village.

More than 200 temples had submerged during the dam's construction, and over 150 temples have already perished, while 50 of them have stood the test of time. The remaining temples present an opportunity for scuba diving enthusiasts to go under the water and experience the underbelly of the Hirakud Dam. Visitors can see the submerged temples during their boat rides in the summer months of May and June.

Hirakud's Own Wonder: The Cattle Island

One of the most astonishing natural wonders in the dam's vicinity is the 'Cattle Island'. The island is completed inhabited by wild animals without a trace of human beings. The island is now a submerged hill but was a developed village before the dam's construction. While the resettlement period was on, the villagers had to leave some of their cattle behind, and all the cattle settled on the hilltop by the time the construction of the dam was completed. When water was released from the reservoir, the nearby area filled with water and turned the hilltop into an island. The cattle reproduced, and they became wild and difficult to tame because of the lack of humans. Though nearby locals have tried to hunt the cattle from time to time, such attempts have seldom been successful.

The availability of water and a green environment provide the ideal wildlife habitat. The Debrigarh wildlife sanctuary is located here.[11] Several species of migratory birds visit the reservoir during winter.

Any massive construction project has its pros and cons. While, on the one hand, it focuses and attempts development and ease of living, it also causes enormous displacement and loss of cultivable land for the locals. Nonetheless, the Hirakud dam is one of the essential hydroelectric projects of the country, and it has proven its worth in the decades after its construction.

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