Rs 855 Cr to be Spent for Renovation of Hirakud Canal System

Bhubaneswar: The canal system of the Hirakud Dam over the Mahanadi River will be renovated by the Odisha government at a cost of Rs 855 crore.

The Mohan Majhi-led BJP government in Odisha will spend this amount over the next four years. The renovation of the canal system will be completed by 2027-28.

The canal system of the Hirakud Dam, the longest earthen dam in the country built in 1957 has degraded with time. This canal system irrigates 1.59 lakh hectares of land in the Kharif season and 1.12 lakh hectares of land in Rabi season in Sambalpur, Bargarh, Balangir and Sonepur districts.

The renovation of the canal system will eradicate cracks, undue drainage and complaints of water not reaching the tail-end farmlands.

“One of the main goals of the renovation scheme is recovering the waterlogged cultivable land caused by seepage from the canal network. The renovation project would stabilize the siphon and aqueduct in the canal system,” a press release of the Waters Resources Department said.