Hirakud Dam

Hirakud Dam is a major earthen dam built across the Mahanadi River near Sambalpur in Odisha, about 15 km from the city. Completed in 1957 as India's first post-independence multipurpose river valley project, it is among the longest earthen dams in the world at 25.8 km including dykes. The dam creates the vast Hirakud Reservoir and is noted for flood control, irrigation and hydroelectric power generation.

Visitors can expect expansive views of the Mahanadi River and the vast Hirakud Reservoir from the dam top and observation towers. The site includes a long earthen embankment with a motorable road, Gandhi Minar and Nehru Minar viewpoints offering panoramic reservoir views, power houses, and surrounding hills. Boating on the reservoir, photography, birdwatching in winter, and views of Cattle Island and Debrigarh hills are part of the experience.

Hirakud Dam was conceived to control floods in the Mahanadi delta and provide irrigation and power. Construction started in 1948 after feasibility studies in the 1940s and was completed in 1957. It was the first major multipurpose river valley project undertaken after India's independence and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on 13 January 1957. The project involved displacement of villages submerged by the reservoir.

The dam is regarded as the lifeline of western Odisha, supporting agriculture through irrigation of large areas in Sambalpur, Bargarh, Bolangir and Subarnapur districts and providing hydroelectric power. The reservoir and its surroundings are associated with local livelihoods, fisheries and seasonal tourism, and the viewpoints Gandhi Minar and Nehru Minar are named after national leaders.