The Palpala River: A Lifeline

From the Blue Community Mayurbhanj Biological Research MBR, India:

Palpala River: A Lifeline for Agriculture, Communities and the Similipal Landscape.

Blue Community Net – Community Water & Climate Field Visit, Shyamakhunta Block, Mayurbhanj, Odisha
| 07 August 2026.

Full report with pictures here as PDF

Water is the Origin of life, agriculture, biodiversity and resilient rural communities. In the Similipal landscape of northern Odisha, the Palpala River and its associated streams, waterfalls and irrigation systems represent an important connection between forest ecosystems and the agricultural livelihoods of surrounding village populations.

As part of a field-based water and community assessment, Samir Kumar Sahu, Government Interaction Head ,Blue Community Net Member and Founder-Executive Director, Mayurbhanj Biological Research (MBR), accompanied the IIT Kharagpur professor/research team during a field visit on dated 07th August,2026 and community interaction in the Tarajodi, Kakarpani, Jhenei and Kuchilaghati areas of Shyamakhunta Block, Mayurbhanj.

From Similipal’s forests to farmers’ fields

The field observations highlighted the close relationship between the upper forest catchments of Similipal, Palpala River, Balidiha irrigation system and downstream agricultural landscapes.

Sitakund — the cultural and ecological water source

Sitakund is located within the Similipal landscape, while Lulung is associated with the Palpala River on the forest fringe. The National Tiger Conservation Authority notes that Similipal’s terrain is woven with perennial water sources that converge into major river systems including the Budhabalanga and other tributaries.

The name Sitakund has a strong local religious and mythological tradition. Local accounts associate the natural pool with “Sita” during the period of exile in the forest. This is a traditional belief rather than a documented historical event, and it should therefore be presented as cultural heritage rather than established history.

Ecologically, however, Sitakund represents something much more tangible: the relationship between rainfall, forest vegetation, hill streams, waterfalls and downstream water availability.
The Similipal landscape functions as a natural water-storage and release system. Forested slopes receive monsoon rainfall, water moves through soil and rock formations, and springs and streams maintain downstream flows.

The Palpala water system is therefore much more than a river channel. It connects forest, watershed, irrigation, agriculture, livestock, biodiversity and rural communities.

Balidiha: a historic irrigation lifeline

The Balidiha Irrigation Project, constructed across the Palpala River in 1912, is recognised as an important historical irrigation system in Shyamakhunta Block, Mayurbhanj State (Now Odisha State). The International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage records a 205 km² catchment, a 173-metre diversion weir, four sluices and two head regulators. Its canal system has historically supported irrigation over approximately 3,832 ha during Kharif and 200 ha during Rabi, covering 49 villages. https://icid-ciid.org/award/his_details/187?

Government records also identify Balidiha as a diversion-weir project across the Palpala River and note the long-standing need for maintenance and protection of the irrigation infrastructure.

This makes the Palpala–Balidiha system particularly important for food security and climate resilience among farming communities.

Understanding water discharge: an important scientific priority

During the field discussion, the importance of measuring the actual seasonal discharge of Palpala was highlighted.

A publicly indexed hydraulic design document for a proposed bridge over the Palpala River records a design discharge of 822.36 m³/second (cumec). If that discharge were sustained for one hour, it would correspond to approximately:

822.36 m³/s × 3,600 seconds = 2,960,496 m³/hour
or approximately 2.96 billion litres/hour.

However, this figure must not be interpreted as the normal or present-day flow of the Palpala River. It is a design/flood discharge used for hydraulic infrastructure planning, not a measured continuous river discharge.

For Blue Community Net, Mayurbhanj Biological Research (MBR) and the IIT Kharagpur Professor research team, this distinction is important. Actual discharge should be measured at representative locations and seasons—pre-monsoon, monsoon, post-monsoon and winter—to establish a reliable Palpala River Water Flow Database. If the water storage and discharge system control mange and generate electricity will be useful for hydroelectricity and can be used for local need.

Similipal: a critical water-security landscape

Similipal Tiger Reserve covers approximately 2,750 km², with a complex mountainous and forested watershed supporting numerous streams, rivers and waterfalls. Odisha Tourism describes Similipal as being fed by twelve rivers, while NTCA highlights its perennial water sources and river systems.

At the wider basin level, the Odisha Department of Water Resources identifies the Budhabalanga–Jambhira system as having a total catchment of 6,691 km², of which 6,354 km² lies in Odisha; major tributaries include Sunei, Kalo, Katra and Sana Nadi.

This demonstrates why forest conservation and water security cannot be treated separately.

Community dialogue: water, agriculture and resilience

The IIT Kharagpur team and MBR engaged directly with local community members to understand:
• availability and seasonal reliability of irrigation water;
• dependence on Palpala and Balidiha for agriculture;
• changes in water availability during different seasons;
• impacts of excessive rainfall, flooding and dry periods;
• condition of local ponds, channels and agricultural fields;
• community knowledge of streams, springs and forest water sources;
• opportunities for scientific water monitoring and conservation.

The photographs are taken during field visit, the photograph show paddy cultivation, community interaction, forested catchments, waterfalls, surface-water bodies and the Palpala–Balidiha water landscape—illustrating how closely the rural economy is connected with the surrounding ecosystem.

Towards a Community Water Observatory

A key outcome emerging from the field interaction is the need to establish a community-based Palpala River and Similipal Water Monitoring Initiative.

River Flow Monitoring → Water Quality → Rainfall → Groundwater → Irrigation → Agriculture → Biodiversity → Climate Risk

A river that connects forest and people

The Palpala River should be viewed not simply as an irrigation channel but as a living ecological and livelihood corridor connecting the Similipal forest landscape with farming communities.

Protecting its upper catchment, restoring degraded water channels, maintaining Balidiha’s irrigation infrastructure, improving water-use efficiency and involving local communities in monitoring can contribute significantly to climate-resilient agriculture and biodiversity conservation.

Blue Community Net and Mayurbhanj Biological Research (MBR) will continue to promote a science–community–government partnership for sustainable water governance in the Similipal landscape.