Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has taken up a Rs 239.13-crore project to renovate and restore a 42.606-km stretch of the Upper Indravati Right Main Canal in Kalahandi district to improve irrigation efficiency and minimise water losses.
The project covers Reach-II of the canal, from chainage 41.100 km to 83.706 km, under the state’s Canal Lining and System Rehabilitation Programme.
The renovation aims to reduce seepage, strengthen canal structures and enhance water-carrying capacity, ensuring more reliable irrigation supply to agricultural fields, particularly in tail-end areas of the canal network.
The canal caters to agricultural areas in Jaipatna, Kalampur and Junagarh blocks, with a designed command area of 27,195 hectares. It currently provides irrigation to 25,846 hectares during the Kharif season and 20,074 hectares during the Rabi season.
The rehabilitation is expected to improve water distribution across the command area, support timely irrigation during both cropping seasons and help farmers plan their agricultural activities more effectively.
The Right Main Canal is a key component of the Upper Indravati Multipurpose Project, which transfers water from the Indravati River in the Godavari basin to the Hati River in the Mahanadi basin. The multipurpose project also generates 600 MW of hydropower at the Mukhiguda Powerhouse.
After power generation, water flows to the Mangalpur Barrage, from where it is diverted into the irrigation canal network serving agricultural areas of Kalahandi.
The latest rehabilitation initiative is aimed at improving the performance of the existing irrigation infrastructure and strengthening water-use efficiency, thereby supporting agricultural productivity and sustainable irrigation management in the district.
