Quantitative Evaluation of the Water Provisioning Services of Reservoirs in Chhattisgarh, India

Rivers and water bodies have always been the pillars of civilization and meet all the needs of humans and animals. The present study focuses on the Water Provisioning Services (WPS) of various water reservoirs in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. The present paper provides an overview of the WPS of the ten major reservoirs constructed in the Mahanadi River Basin (MRB) in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh. The Minimata Hasdeo Bango Dam of Korba districts tops the list with the largest catchment area (6730 km2), live capacity (2894 MCM) and full reservoir level (395.66 m). It fulfills the demand of domestic water to the entire Korba town, supplies 441 MCM water for industrial needs to major industries (BALCO, NTPC, SECL, BPCL, etc.), irrigates about 433,500 ha of agricultural land area and is also one of the important recreational and tourist destinations of the state. Hydropower generation from Chhattigarh’s reservoirs is 127 MW, of which 120 MW comes from Minimata Hasdeo Bango Dam and about 7 MW from Sikasar Dam. The economic assessment of runoff retention of the different land use types of the study area shows that forests help in runoff retention worth Rs 247.26 crore annually, while net sown agricultural area contributes to Rs 170.93 crore annually. The present paper will provide a database for further research in this area and also contribute to the conservation of the reservoirs. It will also help policymakers, land use planners, academicians, etc. for proper land use planning, management, monitoring, implementation and adaptation to climate change.