| Sabari River | |
|---|---|
 Sabari river merging into Godavari near Kunavaram | |
 Path of The Sabari[1] | |
| Location | |
| Country | India |
| State | Odisha,Chhattisgarh,Andhra Pradesh |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Sinkaram hill ranges |
| • location | Odisha,India |
| • coordinates | 18°N82°E / 18°N 82°E /18; 82 |
| • elevation | 1,370 m (4,490 ft) |
| Mouth | Godavari River |
• location | Kunavaram,Andhra Pradesh |
• coordinates | 17°34′13″N81°15′37″E / 17.57028°N 81.26028°E /17.57028; 81.26028 |
• elevation | 25.3 m (83 ft) |
| Length | 418 km (260 mi) |
| Basin size | 20,427 km2 (7,887 sq mi) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Sileru River, Pateru River |
Sabari River is one of the main tributaries ofGodavari. It originates from the western slopes ofEastern Ghats inOdisha state from Sinkaram hill ranges at 1374 mMSL.[1] It is known asKolab River in Odisha. The Sabari river basin receives nearly 1250 mm annual average rainfall. It forms common boundary betweenChhattisgarh and Odisha states. It later enters intoAndhra Pradesh to merge with River Godavari.[2] Upper Kolab project, located in Odisha across the Sabari is a major dam project supplying water for irrigation and Hydro power generation.
The 200 km long stretch of the river forming boundary between Chhattisgarh and Odisha drops by 2.25 meters per km length on average. This stretch of the river has substantial hydro electricity generation potential by building medium head (< 20 m) barrages in series to minimize land submergence.[3][4][5] The surplus water ofIndravati River in Odisha can also be diverted to Sabari river via Jaura Nallah through which Indravati flood waters naturally overflow into Sabari basin.
Sileru River (known as Machkund in its upper reaches) is the major tributary of Sabari which joins Sabari river at tri-junction boundary point of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Sileru river has huge potential of hydro electricity generation which has been substantially harnessed by constructingMachkund,Balimela, upper Sileru, Donkarayi and lower Sileru hydro power projects.
