The Baitarani (also spelled Vaitarani) is one of six major rivers of Odisha, India. Venerated in popular epics and , the Baitarani River is a source of water for agricultural irrigation. The coastal plain of Odisha has the name of "Hexadeltaic region" or the "Gift of Six Rivers". These river delta divide the coastal plain into three regions from north to south. The Baitarani, the Mahanadi river and the Brahmani River rivers form the Middle Coastal Plain, with evidence of past "back bays" and present lakes.
Sources
The Baitarani originates from the Gonasika/Guptaganga
(Cow Nose Shaped) hills, and starts flowing over a stone looking like the nostril of a cow. Afterwards, for about half a kilometre, the river flows underground and is not visible from outside. The Baitarani is known here by the name Guptaganga or the Gupta Baitarani, in Gonasika of
Keonjhar district in
Odisha state of India at an elevation of above sea level. The uppermost part of the river, about in length, flows in a northerly direction; then it changes its path suddenly by 90 degrees and flows eastward. The beginning portion of Baitarani briefly marks the boundary between the states of
Odisha and
Jharkhand.
Course
The river enters a plain at
Anandapur and creates a deltaic zone at Akhuapada. The river is in length and drain into the Bay of Bengal after joining of the Brahmani at Dhamra mouth near
Chandabali.
The river has 65 tributaries, of which 35 join from the left side and 30 from the right. The river basin in Odisha is spread among 42 blocks of eight districts. Budhi, Kanjori, Ambajhara, Mushal, Kusei, Salandi are some of the tributaries of Baitarani.
Location
A major portion of the river basin lies within the state of Odisha, while a small patch of the upper reach lies in Jharkhand state. The upper Baitarani basin on the western slopes of the
Eastern Ghats, comprising the Panposh-Keonjhar-Pallahara plateau, is one of the two plateaus forming "The Central Plateaus"—one of Odisha's five major morphological regions.
Dams and barrages
and barrages on the Baitarani and its major tributary, the Salandi, irrigate . The proposed Bhimkund and upper Baitarani multi-purpose projects envisage many more dams across this river and its tributaries to provide irrigation to more than .
A new barrage was established near Anandapur and it was inaugurated by the CM of Odisha,
Naveen Patnaik.
Flooding
is a regular phenomenon in the Baitarani basin. The inhabitants near the river live in fear of loss to life and property. Even a two-day rain in July 2005 caused the river to overflow its banks, affecting 140,000 people in 220 villages of Jajpur and Bhadrak districts. In at least two places the embankments were breached and flooding occurred, inflicting loss of life and property. Apart from the long pending construction of a dam at Bhimkund and other proposed measures like riverbed excavation and construction of embankments etc. in the deltaic region, there remain the unaddressed
land use issues in the upstream, to which, till date, no serious thoughts or efforts have been directed.
Industry and water quality
Due to drainage into the Bay of Bengal, its water become salty as it heads towards the end of the River.
Baitarani basin, with its rich mineral and agricultural resources and with availability of cheap labour, offered an ideal ground for establishment and operation of various industries. However, the principal development activities in the industrial, agricultural and mining sectors have contributed significantly towards deterioration in the water quality.
Cultural impact
It forms part of the boundary between Balasore district and Undivided
Cuttack district.
There is a saying that "he who bathes in it and gives alms will always be free from torments inflicted by Yama."
The district Jajpur is the gift of river Baitarani. Historical evidences show early civilization on the bank of this river. Currently the district is subject to massive floods which are common during monsoon.
