Water
An average annual surface water potential of 66.9 km³ has been assessed in this basin. Out of this, 50.0 km³ is utilisable water. Culturable area in the basin is about 80,000 km², which is 4% of the total culturable area of the country.
Present use of surface water in the basin is 17.0 km³. Live storage capacity in the basin has increased significantly since independence. From just about 0.8 km³ in the pre-plan period, the total live storage capacity of the completed projects has increased to 8.5 km³. In addition, a substantial storage quantity of over 5.4 km³ would be created on completion of projects under construction. Additional storage to the tune of over 11.0 km³ would become available on execution of projects under consideration. The hydropower potential of the basin has been assessed as 627 MW at 60% load factor.
At its peak during the monsoon, the Mahanadi has a discharge rate of 2 million cubic ft. per second, almost as much as the much largerGanges. However owing to its seasonal nature the river is mostly a narrow channel flanked by wide sand banks for most of the year. http://commons./wiki/File:Zobra_bridge_view.JPG
Read more about this topic: Mahanadi
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—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)