About Indravati Tiger Reserve:
- Location: It is located in the Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh.
- The park derives its name from the Indravati River, which flows from east to west and forms the northern boundary of the reserve with the Indian state of Maharashtra.
- Indravati attained the status of a national park in 1981 and a tiger reserve in 1983 under Project Tiger.
- Topography: It mainly comprises of undulating hilly terrain with altitudes ranging between 177 to 599 m above sea level.
- Vegetation: Three major forest types are recognized in Indravati: Moist Mixed Deciduous Forest with Teak, Moist Mixed Deciduous Forest without Teak, and Southern Dry Mixed Deciduous Forest.
- Flora: Some common species include teak, achar, karra, kullu, shisham, semal, haldu, arjun, bel and Jamun.
- Fauna:
- It is home to one of the last populations of rare wild buffalo.
- Major faunal species include tiger, leopard, striped hyena, wolf, common mongoose, freshwater crocodile, common monitor lizard, Indian bull frog, herons, white-necked stork, black-necked stork, white ibis, black ibis etc.
Key facts about Indravati River:
- It is a tributary of the Godavari River and flows through the central Indian states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.
- Origin: It rises in the Kalahandi district of Odisha on the western slopes of the Eastern Ghats.
- Length: It flows for 535 km and has a drainage area of 41, 665 sq. km.
- Course: After originating in Odisha, it flows westwards to join the Godavari, thus forming the boundary between Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh states at some places.
- The famous `Chitrakoot` falls forms on Indravati River in Chhattisgarh.
- The Indravati River is sometimes known as the "lifeline" of the Bastar District, which is known as one of the greenest districts in India.
- Tributaries:
- The major right-bank tributaries of the Indravati River are Bhaskel River, Narangi River, Nimbra River, Kotri River and Bandia River.
- The Nandiraj River is the only important left-bank tributary of the Indravati River.
- Indravati Dam:
- Indravati Dam, or the Upper Indravati Hydro Power Project, was built near the town of Mukhiguda in the Kalahandi district.
- It is one of the largest dams in India as well as Asia and produces 600 MW of electricity.
- The project envisages the diversion of water of the Indravati River in its upper reaches into the Mahanadi valley for power generation and irrigation.
