Study of Drainage Patterns in the Mahanadi Catchment (Above Hirakud Dam)

Drainage pattern analysis in different landscape units furnishes useful information for watershed management with special reference to erosional features. The Mahanadi catchment comprising an area of 84000 Sq. km has been analysed for drainage pattern and drainage texture studies which revealed that the catchment exhibits the development of trellis, annular, rectangular, pinnate phantom, radial, dendritic and braided drainage patterns having fine to coarse drainage textures. It is observed that in areas having fine textured dendritic pattern, the streams are excessively loaded with finer material of silt while in areas with pinnate, phantom and radial drainage patterns, the streams are charged with coarser material in the form of sand and gravel. Both the areas are the sore spots of erosion and conservation measures to check silt and sand load are imperative.