Brief Description of the Basin

Brahmani Basin

• The Brahmani Basin lies between latitude 20° 28' to 23° 35' N and longitude 83° 52' to 87° 30' E in the districts of Raigarh and Sarguja in Chhattisgarh, Ranchi and Singhbhumi in Jharkhand and Sundergarh, Deogarh, Sambalpur, Angul, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Jajpur and Kendrapara in Orissa.

• Brahmani basin is situated between Mahanadi Basin (on the right) and Baitarani Basin (on the left). Chhotanagpur Plateau in the East and South bound the basin, in the north a ridge separates it from Mahanadi basin, and to the east of the basin lie the Bay of Bengal and the Baitarani basin.

• Brahmani River is the second largest river in the State of Orissa. In fact, two headwater streams, namely Sankh River and South Koel River originate in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand states, respectively. After the confluence of Sankh River and South Koel River at Vedvyas (in Orissa at latitude 22° 48’ N and longitude 84° 14’ E, at an elevation of 200 m), the combined river is known by the name Brahmani.

• Out of the total basin area of 39,269 km², the major parts of the basin covering 22,516 km² (57.34% of the basin) falls in Orissa state. Further, about 15,406 km² (39.23 % of the basin area) falls in Jharkhand state and about 1,347 km² which is only 3.43% of the basin area falls in the Chhattisgarh state.

Baitarni Basin

• The Baitarani River is one of the major rivers of Orissa.

• The basin lies mostly in the State of Orissa excluding 736 km² in Singhbhum District of Jharkhand State. 

• In Orissa part, the Districts Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Cuttack, Sundergarh and Dhenkanal fall in the Baitarani basin of which Keonjhar District covers the major portion of the basin area.

• The Baitarani River originates from Guptaganga hills in Keonjhar District of Orissa, about 2 km from Gonasika village, at an elevation of 900 m at latitude 21° 31’ N and longitude 85° 33’ E. 

• Initially the river flows in northern direction for about 80 km and then takes a sudden right turn. In this reach, the river serves as a boundary between Jharkhand and Orissa states up to the confluence of Kangira River.

Drainage Area of the Basin (in Km²)

Statewise Drainage Area (in Km²)

Name of State

Area of  Brahmani Basin

Orissa

22,516

Jharkhand

15,406

Chhattisgarh

1,347

Climate

In Brahmani basin, maximum temperature rises to 47° C during summer while the minimum during winter may be as low as 4°C. Temperatures in the coastal region are moderate but humidity is higher.

In Baitarni basin the maximum recorded temperature of Keonjhar District in summer is 48.5°C and minimum in winter is 6° C.

Water Potential of the Basin

Surface Water potential

28.48 km³

Ground Water potential

4.05 km³

Water Utilization

Surface Water Utilization

Drinking purposes

Irrigation purposes

Ground Water Utilization

Drinking purposes

Irrigation purposes

Principal Tributaries of the River

Major Projects in Brahmani and Baitarni Basin

Hirakud Canal System, Rengali dam, Kansabahati Irrigation Project, Pitamahal Irrigation Project, Gohira Irrigation Project, Aunali Irrigation Project, Dadaraghati Irrigation Project, Derjang Irrigation Project, Ramiala Irrigation Project. 

Water Quality of the Basin

Brahmani, a mighty river during the monsoon, turns in the summer into more or less a stagnant pool of water held in deep gorges and pot holes in the river bed.  The river becomes incapable of washing down the pollutants, which are discharged into it from the nearby industries, towns & villages. Greater part of the Brahmani River (below Panposh) is highly polluted.  From the water quality point of view, the observed quality is below the desired class in general, it is better at a few places. Here too, BOD and total coliform are critical parameters. According to the studies made by CPCB, the observed water quality status of Baitarani River and its tributaries are below the desired class.