Sambalpur: Hirakud Dam in Sambalpur district has been adjudged as the best-maintained project and structure in the country by the Central Board of Irrigation and Power.
The dam, which is built across the Mahanadi River, was chosen in the category for regular upkeep of the project since 1957 and improvement in efficiency. The Water Resources Department of Odisha received the national award at a ceremony in New Delhi.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik congratulated the department on the occasion. “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,” the CM tweeted.
The Hirakud Dam was built in 1957 and is the first major multipurpose river valley project that started after India’s Independence. It is one of the longest man-made dams in the world.
The dam controls floods in Mahanadi delta and irrigates 7,500,000 hectares of land and helps in generation of hydroelectricity. It regulates 83,400 km² of Mahanadi’s drain water.
