Geography and climate
Bargarh is mainly an open plain broken by small hill ranges. It borders the Chhattisgarh districts of Mahasamund and Raigarh to the north-west, Jharsuguda to the north, Sambalpur to the east, Subarnapur and Balangir to the south, and Nuapada to the west.
The north of the district is watered by canals from the Hirakud reservoir on the Mahanadi. The Jira river flows past Bargarh town. In the south-west rise the Gandhamardan hills, shared with Balangir district, whose highest point reaches about 1,060 m. The Nrusinghanath shrine stands on their northern slope. In Hindu tradition these are the hills from which Hanuman carried healing herbs for Lakshmana in the Ramayana. The Botanical Survey of India has documented about 220 plant species of medicinal value here, and local communities have long campaigned to protect the hills from bauxite mining.
The Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary, about 347 sq km of dry deciduous forest, lies on the shore of the Hirakud reservoir. The reservoir bounds it on the east and north.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|
| Landform | Open plain with small hill ranges; Gandhamardan hills in the south-west |
| Rivers and water | Mahanadi and Hirakud reservoir canals; Jira river at Bargarh town |
| Protected area | Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary, about 347 sq km |
| Rainfall | About 1,500 mm a year, mostly in the monsoon |
| Climate | Hot summers, a June to September monsoon and cool, dry winters |
Summers are very hot, as in much of western Odisha. Most rain falls in the south-west monsoon, and winters are cool and dry.
Economy
Agriculture is the backbone of the economy. The Hirakud Dam, which Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated on 13 January 1957 in neighbouring Sambalpur district, transformed farming here by feeding a network of irrigation canals. Wikipedia notes that all-season irrigation from Hirakud makes the northern half of the district rich in agriculture, mostly paddy, and Bargarh town has many rice mills. Its article on the town puts the district's annual rice output at about 600,000 tonnes. Cement and sugar mills also operate in the district. Handloom weaving, organised largely through cooperatives such as the Sambalpuri Bastralaya, is the other major source of income.
