About the Mahanadi
The Mahanadi ('Great River') is Odisha's defining river, draining nearly the entire state and the forested highlands of central Chhattisgarh. The river's dramatic gorge at Satkosia in Odisha — 22 kilometres of cliff-walled river accessible only by boat — is one of central India's finest natural spectacles and a critical habitat for gharials, smooth-coated otters, and Gangetic dolphins. India's tallest waterfall by some measures (Barehipani at 399 metres) and one of India's most spectacular (Joranda at 181 metres) are both inside Simlipal National Park in the Mahanadi's upper catchment.
The Hirakud Dam on the Mahanadi, when completed in 1957, was independent India's first major dam project and the longest earthen dam in the world at the time. The reservoir is a major wintering site for migratory birds. However, the Mahanadi is now at the centre of a serious interstate water conflict between Chhattisgarh (which has dammed its upper tributaries for irrigation) and Odisha (which depends on the lower river for agriculture and the delta ecosystem). The conflict echoes the Cauvery dispute of south India.
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