1. Hirakud Project Canals-under the project a 4,801.2 meter long dam (largest in the world) has been constructed across Mahanadi near Sambalpur which impounds 8,100 million cubic meters of wa­ter. Three canals have been constructed which irri­gate about 3 lakh hectares of land in Sambalpur, Puri, Bolangir and Cuttack districts.

2. Mahanadi Delta Canals-Canals of the Mahanadi Delta Scheme provide irrigation to about 5.49 lakh hectares of land in Cuttack and Puri distrticts. The scheme was completed in 1975.

3. Others.-Other important canals of the state include Kendrapara canal from Virupa river (com­pleted in 1869), the Talkanda canal from Mahanadi (near Jovari anicut) irrigating about 60,000 hectares of land, and the Salandi canal taking off from the river so named irrigating about 62,000 hectares of agricultural land in Balasore distric’.