Baitarani River
Encyclopedia
The Baitarani River or River Vaitarani ' onMouseout='HidePop("66087")' href="/topics/Devanagari">Devanagari
:वैतरणी नदी) is one of six major river
s of Orissa
, India. Venerated in popular epic
s and legend
s, the Baitarani River is a source of water
for agricultural irrigation
. Most of the potentially arable land
in the area is not under cultivation. The coastal plain
of Orissa has the name of "Hexadeltaic region" or the "Gift of Six Rivers". These delta
s divide the coastal plain into three regions from north to south. The Baitarani, the Mahanadi
and the Brahmani
rivers form the Middle Coastal Plain, with evidence of past 'back bays' and present lakes.
The Baitarani originates from the Guptaganga hills in Gonasika of Keonjhar district in Orissa
state of India at an elevation of 900 m above sea level
. The uppermost part of the river, about 80 km in length, flows in a northerly direction; then it changes its path suddenly by 900 and flows eastward. The beginning portion of Baitarani acts as the boundary between Orissa and Jharkhand
.
The river enters a plain at Anandapur
and creates a deltaic zone at Akhuapada. The river travels a distance of 360 km to drain into the Bay of Bengal
after joining of the Brahmani at Dhamra mouth near Chandabali
. The river has 65 tributaries, of which 35 join from the left side and 30 join from the right side. The river basin in Orissa is spread in 42 blocks of eight districts.
A major portion of the river basin lies within the state of Orissa, while a small patch of the upper reach lies in Jharkhand state. The upper Baitarani basin on the western slopes of the Eastern Ghats
, comprising the Panposh-Keonjhar-Pallahara plateau, is one of the two plateaus forming ‘The Central Plateaus’ - one of Orissa’s five major morphological regions.
Dam
s and barrages on the Baitarani and its major tributary, the Salandi, irrigate 61,920 ha. The proposed Bhimkund and upper Baitarani multi-purpose projects envisage many more dams across this river and its tributaries to provide irrigation to more than 1,000 km².
Flooding
is a regular phenomenon in the Baitarani basin. Its inhabitants live in constant fear of loss to life and property. Even a two-day rain in July in 2005 caused the river to overflow its banks, affecting 140,000 people in 220 villages of Jajpur and Bhadrak districts. In at least two places the embankments were breached and marooning occurred, inflicting massive losses of life and property. Apart from the long pending construction of a dam at Bhimkund and proposed other measures like river bed excavation and construction of embankments etc. in the deltaic region, there remain the unaddressed land use
issues in the upstream, to which, till date, no serious thoughts or efforts have been directed.
Baitarani basin, with its rich mineral and agricultural resources and with availability of cheap labour, offered an ideal ground for establishment and operation of various industries. However, the principal development activities in the industrial, agricultural and mining sectors have contributed significantly towards deterioration in the water quality.
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
:वैतरणी नदी) is one of six major river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s of Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, India. Venerated in popular epic
Indian epic poetry
Indian epic poetry is the epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent, traditionally called Kavya . The Ramayana and Mahabharata, originally composed in Sanskrit and translated thereafter into many other Indian languages, are some of the oldest surviving epic poems on earth and form part of...
s and legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
s, the Baitarani River is a source of water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
for agricultural irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
. Most of the potentially arable land
Arable land
In geography and agriculture, arable land is land that can be used for growing crops. It includes all land under temporary crops , temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow...
in the area is not under cultivation. The coastal plain
Coastal plain
A coastal plain is an area of flat, low-lying land adjacent to a seacoast and separated from the interior by other features. One of the world's longest coastal plains is located in eastern South America. The southwestern coastal plain of North America is notable for its species diversity...
of Orissa has the name of "Hexadeltaic region" or the "Gift of Six Rivers". These delta
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
s divide the coastal plain into three regions from north to south. The Baitarani, the Mahanadi
Mahanadi River
The Mahanadi in East Central India. It drains an area of around 141,600 km2 and has a total course of 858 km. The river flows through the states of Chhattisgarh and Orissa.-Source:...
and the Brahmani
Brahmani River
The Brahmani is a major seasonal river in the Orissa state of Eastern India. The Brahmani is formed by the confluence of the Sankh and South Koel rivers, and flows through the districts of Sundargarh, Kendujhar, Dhenkanal, Cuttack and Jajapur...
rivers form the Middle Coastal Plain, with evidence of past 'back bays' and present lakes.
The Baitarani originates from the Guptaganga hills in Gonasika of Keonjhar district in Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
state of India at an elevation of 900 m above sea level
MSL
- Organizations :* Major Series Lacrosse* Major Soccer League* Malaysia Super League* MBCgame Starleague * Metal Storm Limited, an Australian modern armament company...
. The uppermost part of the river, about 80 km in length, flows in a northerly direction; then it changes its path suddenly by 900 and flows eastward. The beginning portion of Baitarani acts as the boundary between Orissa and Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
.
The river enters a plain at Anandapur
Anandapur
Anandapur is a town and a municipality of Kendujhar district in the state of Orissa, India.- Toponymy :The name Anandapur derives from आनन्द सहर -Geography:...
and creates a deltaic zone at Akhuapada. The river travels a distance of 360 km to drain into the Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
after joining of the Brahmani at Dhamra mouth near Chandabali
Chandabali
Chandabali is a community in the Bhadrak district of Orissa on the bank of the River Baitarani, and a tourist destination for visitors to the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary.-History:...
. The river has 65 tributaries, of which 35 join from the left side and 30 join from the right side. The river basin in Orissa is spread in 42 blocks of eight districts.
A major portion of the river basin lies within the state of Orissa, while a small patch of the upper reach lies in Jharkhand state. The upper Baitarani basin on the western slopes of the Eastern Ghats
Eastern Ghats
The Eastern Ghats or Eastern Ghauts are a discontinuous range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The Eastern Ghats run from West Bengal state in the north, through Orissa and Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka. They are eroded and cut through by the...
, comprising the Panposh-Keonjhar-Pallahara plateau, is one of the two plateaus forming ‘The Central Plateaus’ - one of Orissa’s five major morphological regions.
Dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
s and barrages on the Baitarani and its major tributary, the Salandi, irrigate 61,920 ha. The proposed Bhimkund and upper Baitarani multi-purpose projects envisage many more dams across this river and its tributaries to provide irrigation to more than 1,000 km².
Flooding
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
is a regular phenomenon in the Baitarani basin. Its inhabitants live in constant fear of loss to life and property. Even a two-day rain in July in 2005 caused the river to overflow its banks, affecting 140,000 people in 220 villages of Jajpur and Bhadrak districts. In at least two places the embankments were breached and marooning occurred, inflicting massive losses of life and property. Apart from the long pending construction of a dam at Bhimkund and proposed other measures like river bed excavation and construction of embankments etc. in the deltaic region, there remain the unaddressed land use
Land use
Land use is the human use of land. Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as fields, pastures, and settlements. It has also been defined as "the arrangements, activities and inputs people undertake in a certain land cover...
issues in the upstream, to which, till date, no serious thoughts or efforts have been directed.
Baitarani basin, with its rich mineral and agricultural resources and with availability of cheap labour, offered an ideal ground for establishment and operation of various industries. However, the principal development activities in the industrial, agricultural and mining sectors have contributed significantly towards deterioration in the water quality.