generators for an installed capacity of 259.5 MW. Power Station II is located southeast of the dam at Chipilima. It contains 3 x 24 MW generators. The entire installed capacity of the dam's power houses is 347.5 MW. Power House I and II were built in three stages. During stage I, four generators were installed at PH I and in stage II, the power channel two and Power House II was constructed. All three generators were installed at PH II along with two more at PH I by 1963. Between 1982 and 1990, the seventh and final generator was installed at PH I. Purpose In the upper drainage basin of the Mahanadi River, centered on the Chhattisgarh Plain, periodic droughts contrast with the situation in the lower delta region where floods may damage crops. The dam was constructed to help alleviate these problems by creating a reservoir and controlling river flow through the drainage system. The dam regulates the flow of the Mahanadi River and produces hydroelectricity through several hydroelectric plants. The dam helps control floods in the Mahanadi delta and irrigates of land. Hydroelectricity is also generated. The Hirakud Dam regulates of Mahanadi's drainage. The reservoir has a storage capacity of with gross of . It drains an area of , more than twice the area of Sri Lanka. The project provides of kharif and of rabi irrigation in districts of Sambalpur, Bargarh, Bolangir, and Subarnpur. The water released by the power plant irrigates another of CCA in Mahanadi delta. The dam can generate up to 307.5 MW of electrical power through its two power plants at Burla, on the dam's right bank and Chiplima, downstream from the dam. In addition, the project provides flood protection to of delta area in district of Cuttack and Puri. Chiplima has gained prominence as the second hydroelectric project of the Hirakud Dam. A natural fall of in the river Mahanadi is used to generate electricity. The place is mostly inhabited by fishermen, whose deity Ghanteswari is revered in the neighboring area. The state livestock breeding farm and agricultural farm are located here. Canal System Hirakud Dam has three canals, namely Bargarh Main Canal, Sason Canal and Sambalpur Canal. Bargarh Main canal has a water discharge rate of . Industrial Use Water from Hirakud Dam at a later stage was allocated to various industries, primarily for mineral processing and coal fired thermal power