Upper Indravati Hydroelectric Project (UIHEP): Odisha’s Major Hydropower Project and Its Significance

Context

Launched in 1978, the Upper Indravati Hydroelectric Project aimed to generate 600 MW of power and irrigate 1.28 lakh hectares, transforming Kalahandi from the “hunger belt” into a “green belt.”

About Upper Indravati Hydroelectric Project (UIHEP)

• Type: Multi-purpose river valley project (Irrigation + Hydroelectricity).
• Trans-Basin Diversion: This is the most crucial prelims fact. The project diverts water from the Indravati River (Godavari Basin) into the Hati River (Mahanadi Basin).
• Infrastructure: It involves a complex of 4 dams (on the Indravati and its tributaries: Podagada, Kapur, and Muran) and 8 dykes that together form a single connected reservoir.

About Indravati River

• River Origin: The Indravati River originates on the western slopes of the Eastern Ghats in the Kalahandi district of Odisha (at an elevation of about 914m).
• Tributary Status: It is a major left-bank tributary of the Godavari River.
• Course: It flows westwards through Odisha (Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Koraput) and Chhattisgarh (Bastar) before joining the Godavari at the junction of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Telangana.
• Key Feature: It forms the famous Chitrakoot Falls (often called the “Niagara of India”) near Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh.
• Ecological Significance: The river flows through the Indravati National Park in Chhattisgarh, which is a famous Tiger Reserve and home to the endangered Wild Water Buffalo.

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