Indravati River
Indravati River is a tributary of the Godavari River, in central India.
The Indravati River's starting point, found to be the Ghats of Dandakaranya, ranges from a hilltop village Mardiguda of Thuamula Rampur Block in the Kalahandi district of the state of Odisha. Due to the amalgamation of three streams, the river follows a westerly path and enters Jagadalpur in the state of Chhattisgarh.
The river moves from here in a southern direction, before eventually uniting with the Godavari at the borders of the states of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Telangana. The river at a variety of stages of its course forms the boundary between Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.
The Indravati is also known as the oxygen of the Bastar district of the state of Chhattisgarh. This district is one of the greenest and eco-friendly districts, found in the whole of India.
A total number of five hydroelectric projects were planned on the river Indravati. They were namely the Kutru I, the Kutro II, the Nugru I, Nugru II and the Bhopalpatnam. However, the plan misfired and did not see the light of the day due to ecological reasons.
The Indravati is sometimes known as the "lifeline" of the Kalahandi, Nabarangapur, of Odisha & Bastar districts of Chhattisgarh, one of the greenest districts in India.
Most of the river's course is through the dense forests of Nabarangapur & Bastar. The river flows for and has a drainage area of.
Tributaries
The major tributaries of river Indravati are Keshadhara Nalla, Kandabindha Nallah, Chandragiri Nalla, Golagar Nalla, Poragarh Nalla, Kapur Nallah, Muran River, Bangiri Nallah, Telengi Nallah, Parlijori Nallah, Turi Nallah, Chourijori Nallah, Damayanti Sayarh, Kora river, Modang river, Padrikundijori river, Jaura river and Bhaskel river.The important right bank tributaries of the Indravati are Bhaskel, Boarding, Narangi, Nimbra, Kotri and Bandia. The important left bank tributary is Nandiraj.
Indravati Dam
or Upper Indravati Hydro Power Project built near Mukhiguda, Kalahandi is one of the largest Dam in India as well as Asia. It is the largest dam in eastern India which produces 600MW of electricity. The Upper Indravati Project envisages diversion of the water of the Indravati river in its upper reaches into the Mahanadi valley for power generation and irrigation.Other Dam proposals
A total of five hydroelectric projects were planned on the stretch of Indravati River at various points in time. But none could see the light of the day due to ecological concerns raised in various fora.According to Interstate Agreement as per Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal Report, the State of Odisha has to ensure of water at the Odisha–Chhattisgarh border.