Management of High Flood in Mahanadi & its Tributaries below Naraj

Abstract

Mahanadi is an important river in India. At its delta head at Mundali, it has branched into several rivers and drains its water to the Bay of Bengal. The deltaic region is affected by flood, drainage and salinity problems almost every year due to presence of low level escapes.. These escapes start functioning with a flood of 17000 cumecs of undivided flood in Mahanadi at Naraj . Some part of the deltaic region is safe up to a flood of 28300 cumecs due to presence of double continuos embankments. The flood at the delta head has crossed 28300 cumecs eight times between 1958-1998 and made serious problem to entire delta command area. The annual flood damage of the deltaic region is 37 crores of rupees (1992 base). Drainage problem also poses a major constraint to agricultural development of the area. Out of total CCA of 3.03 lakh hect. more than one third suffers from ill drainage. In the present context it is advocated to provide and improve the structural measures and to provide some special treatment to the affected area to check the major floods up to 35000 cumecs. Structural measures to high flood is not feasible and these are proposed to be mitigated by Non structural measures .