Devi River
Encyclopedia
Distributary
A distributary, or a distributary channel, is a stream that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel. They are a common feature of river deltas. The phenomenon is known as river bifurcation. The opposite of a distributary is a tributary...
of Mahanadhi
Mahanadi River
The Mahanadi in East Central India. It drains an area of around 141,600 km2 and has a total course of 858 km. The river flows through the states of Chhattisgarh and Orissa.-Source:...
. It flows through Jagatsinghpur district
Jagatsinghpur District
Jagatsinghpur District is an administrative district of Orissa, India. The city of Jagatsinghpur is the district headquarters.-Post-independence:...
and Puri district
Puri District
Puri being a coastal district of Orissa, is famous for its Historic antiquities, Religious sanctuaries, Architectural Grandeur, Sea-scape beauty,moderate climate.It holds a wealth of attraction for the visitors. It boasts of a continuous history from the 3rd Century B.C...
across Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
state in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and joins Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
.
Course
The river forms the final part of a great network of Mahanadi riverMahanadi River
The Mahanadi in East Central India. It drains an area of around 141,600 km2 and has a total course of 858 km. The river flows through the states of Chhattisgarh and Orissa.-Source:...
. Katjuri (Kathajodi) river is the main southern tributary of Mahanadi river branching off at Cuttack
Cuttack
Cuttack is the former capital of the state of Orissa, India. It is the headquarters of Cuttack district and is located about 20 km to the north east of Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa. The name of the city is an anglicised form of Kataka that literally means The Fort, a reference to the...
, Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
. Katjuri river later acquires the name Devi as it flows further east. The river flows through Alipingal, Macchagaon and Naugaon blocks in Jagatsinghpur district
Jagatsinghpur District
Jagatsinghpur District is an administrative district of Orissa, India. The city of Jagatsinghpur is the district headquarters.-Post-independence:...
and Astaranga
Astaranga
Astaranga is a fishing village and a community development block in Puri district in the Indian state of Orissa.-Geography:Astaranga is located at . It is near the mouth of the Devi River. It is about east of Puri and lies on the Bay of Bengal coast. It is about from Konark.-Port:Hyderabad-based...
and Kanas blocks in Puri district
Puri District
Puri being a coastal district of Orissa, is famous for its Historic antiquities, Religious sanctuaries, Architectural Grandeur, Sea-scape beauty,moderate climate.It holds a wealth of attraction for the visitors. It boasts of a continuous history from the 3rd Century B.C...
. It reaches Bay of Bengal 70 KM south of the mouth of Mahanadhi river, a short distance from the border of Cuttack and Puri districts. The mouth of the river is surrounded by dense forests absent of inhabitants.
Navigation
The river is navigable till Machgaon by small sloops. It is one of the best tidal channels in Orissa, but, yet big vessels can not enter the river upstream due to a large sediment of sand in the mouth of the river. Two fishermen were killed and two injured when a boat capsized near Astarang in Devi river on 13 May 1988.Turtle rookery
The mouth of the Devi river serves as a nesting ground for Olive RidleyOlive Ridley
The olive ridley sea turtle , also known as the Pacific ridley, is a species of sea turtle.- Description :The olive ridley is a small extant sea turtle, with an adult carapace length averaging 60 to 70 cm 1...
turtles rookery during their breeding season. The first rookery in this area north of Puri
Puri
Puri is district headquarter, a city situated about south of state capital Bhubaneswar, on the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Orissa. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the Jagannath Temple . It is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages...
was discovered in 1981. Nesting occurs on mainland India and dynamic sand bars which appear and change forms from year to year. About 800,000 turtles come to this region every winter for breeding. However, the turtle nesting has declined in recent years due to mass death believed to be brought about by increased mechanised fishing. Over 6000 Oliver Ridleyes were killed in year 2003 alone. According to a 2007 estimate, over 130,000 turtles have been found dead on these beaches over the previous 13 years. The effort to set aside the mouth of Devi river and Rushikulya
Rushikulya
Rushikulya river is one of the major rivers of Orissa State , India. It meets the Bay of Bengal at Puruna Bandha, Chhatrapur block of Ganjam district.It originates from the Rushyamala hills of the Eastern Ghats in Phulbani in Kandhamal district. It is 165 km long with 8900 km2 of...
river as sanctuaries for Olive Ridley turtles were opposed by local fishing communities.