Bhubaneswar: Central Board of Irrigation and Power (CBIP) has awarded Hirakud dam, built across the Mahanadi river in Sambalpur, for its high-quality infrastructure and maintenance.
Water resources department principal secretary Surendra Kumar received the award from the CBIP authorities.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik took to twitter to congratulate the Department of Water Resources for receiving the award.
“Congratulate @OdishaWater as Hirakud Dam has been awarded best-maintained project and structure by Central Board of Irrigation & Power. The longest earthen dam in the world has a pivotal role in #Odisha’s food production, irrigation and power generation,” tweeted Patnaik.
Congratulate @OdishaWater as Hirakud Dam has been awarded best maintained project and structure by Central Board of Irrigation & Power. The longest earthen dam in the world has a pivotal role in #Odisha’s food production, irrigation and power generation. pic.twitter.com/YJiD6fLC2j
— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) February 19, 2020
The Hirakud dam, built in 1957, is a composite structure of earth, concrete and stonework, about 15 km from north of Sambalpur. It is one of the longest man-made dams in the world and one of the world’s longest earthen dams.
The dam supports two hydroelectric power houses with installed capacity of 347.5MW. While Power House-I is located at the base of main dam section, the Power House-II is located 19km southeast of the dam. Besides, the dam helps control floods in the Mahanadi delta and irrigates 75,000 square kilometres of land.
PNN
