Baitarani River
The Baitarani River originates from the Gonasika/Guptaganga hills in the Keonjhar district of Odisha. The river starts its journey over a stone that resembles the nostril of a cow, hence the name Guptaganga. For about half a kilometer, the river flows underground and is not visible from outside¹. Course The river flows for about 360 kilometers (220 miles). Initially, it flows in a northerly direction for about 80 kilometers, then turns eastward towards the Bay of Bengal. The uppermost part of the river acts as a boundary between the states of Odisha and Jharkhand. Tributaries The Baitarani has 65 tributaries, with significant ones including the Budhi, Kanjori, Ambajhara, Mushal, Kusei, and Salandi. The river basin is spread across 42 blocks of eight districts in Odisha¹. Dams and Irrigation Dams and barrages on the Baitarani and its major tributary, the Salandi, irrigate 61,920 hectares (153,000 acres). There are plans for more dams across the river and its tributaries to provide irrigation…
