Hirakud Dam
| Hirakud Dam | |
|---|---|
Gates of Hirakud Dam | |
Hirakud Dam Location of Hirakud Dam in Odisha | |
| Official name | Hirakund Dam |
| Location | 16.5 km from Sambalpur, Odisha |
| Coordinates | 21°34′N 83°52′E / 21.57°N 83.87°E |
| Construction began | 1947 |
| Opening date | 1957 |
| Construction cost | ₹101 crore (equivalent to ₹110 billion or US$1.3 billion in 2023) |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Composite dam and reservoir |
| Impounds | Mahanadi River |
| Height | 60.96 m (200 ft) |
| Length | 4.8 km (3 mi) (main section) 25.8 km (16 mi) (entire dam) |
| Spillways | 64 sluice-gates, 34 crest-gates |
| Spillway capacity | 42,450 cubic metres per second (1,499,000 cu ft/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Total capacity | 5,896,000,000 m3 (4,779,965 acre⋅ft) (OR) 205.56 tmc ft (effective) |
| Catchment area | 83,400 km2 (32,201 sq mi) |
| Power Station | |
| Turbines | Power House I (Burla): 2 x 49.5 MW, 3 x 37.5 MW, 2 x 32 MW Kaplan-type Power House II (Chiplima): 3 x 24 MW |
| Installed capacity | 347.5 MW |
| Designations | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Hirakud Reservoir |
| Designated | 12 October 2021 |
| Reference no. | 2494 |
Hirakud Dam is built across the Mahanadi River, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Sambalpur, in the state of Odisha, in India. It is the longest earthen dam in the world. Behind the dam extends a 55 km (34 mi) long lake, the Hirakud Reservoir. It is one of the first major multipurpose river valley projects started after India's independence. Hirakud Reservoir was declared a Ramsar site on 12 October 2021.