Which of the following multi-purpose river valley projects is constructed across the Mahanadi River in Odisha, creating one of the world's longest earthen dams known as Hirakud Dam?

💡 Solution & Explanation

The Hirakud Dam is built across the Mahanadi River about 15 kilometers upstream of Sambalpur in Odisha, forming a massive artificial reservoir named Hirakud Reservoir. Tungabhadra project operates in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, Nagarjuna Sagar is built on the Krishna River, and Rihand is constructed on a tributary of the Son River in Uttar Pradesh. Hirakud regulates catastrophic flooding in the Mahanadi delta while providing extensive canal irrigation and hydropower. It was among the earliest major infrastructure projects completed in independent India.