The Baitarani is one of the six major rivers of Odisha. There is a village named Baitarani in the Bansapal block of Keonjhar district from where the river Baitarani, also known as the "Ganga of Odisha" has originated.

The coastal plain of Odisha has been termed as a “Hexadeltaic region” or the “Gift of Six Rivers”. These deltas divide the coastal plain into three regions from the north to the south. The Baitarani, the Mahanadi and Brahmani rivers form the Middle Coastal Plain. It is one of the oldest rivers in the country flowing from a geological formation which is proven to have some of the earliest rocks in the world.

The Baitarani river originates and flows from one of the most mineral-rich areas on the planet earth. It originates from Gonasika hills in tribal dominated Banspal block at 900 metre above sea level and runs 360 km before entering the Bay of Bengal. From the hills at Gonasika and after traversing through the neighbouring State of Jharkhand it meanders through the districts of Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Kendrapada and Bhadrak before it meets the Bay of Bengal near Dhamra. Along its way, it is fed by 64 tributaries including nine large ones. The catchment area of the river receives average 1,488 mm rainfall in a year.

The Baitarani basin is the third largest among the total 11 basins of Odisha. It has a catchment area of 13,482 sqkm in Odisha out of the total 14,218 sqkm catchment area. The present situation on water availability of Keonjhar district is already alarming and  water of the river is allocated to different industrial houses without any consultation with the local people, who have the first right on the water. It is unfortunate that the construction of a dam over Baitarani at Kanupur-KIP is taking a long time which can help farming and preservation of water.

Many companies are drawing  huge quantity of water from the Baitarani for mineral transportation through slurry pipeline. Time will come when the district may turn into a desert because of such unplanned mining and industrial activities.

The slurry pipeline projects of Brahmani River Pellet Plant (BRPL) of 4mtpa and length 230 km from Barbil to Kalinganagar has annual water allocation of 41,99,544 Cusec of water from river Baitarani. Slurry pipeline of Essar Steel pellet plant of 6-mtpa and length 253 km from Dabuna to Paradip has annual water allocation of 105,16,730 Cusec of water from river Baitarani. On similar lines, many slurry pipeline projects such as 30-mtpa capacity of JSW and 24-mtpa capacity of Triveni have already been approved by the State Government where there is no provision of return pipeline for replenishment of water and consistent drawal of water from a single source. These projects will further aggravate the water flow of Baitarani river.

The rampant exploitation of the mineral wealth of the district and continuous deforestation are causing the river to die a slow death. Rapid deforestation has resulted in very poor flow in the river. Siltation due to mines run off is showing up at strategic places.

From the agricultural point of view, the river is the only source of water for farmers of the four out of the five districts through which it passes. Many irrigation projects have been implemented or are in the primary stages. The river is the lifeline of the district, both for drinking water and irrigation purpose. In recent years, the people have suffered acutely during periods of drought and low rainfall. The Baitarani and its major tributary, Salandi, irrigate 61,920 hectares of agricultural land. The proposed Bhimkund and upper Baitarani multi-purpose projects envisage many more dams across this river and its tributaries. Only 28 per cent of available water of the Baitarani could be converted for irrigation purpose. The Kanupur project started about 43 years back and is yet to be completed.

Though locals, particularly tribals and environmentalists, have time and again raised their voice against unbridled exploitation of the natural resources including Baitarani water, their concern has gone unnoticed. It's a matter of great concern that the Baitarani is in danger and if suitable steps will not be taken in time then we have to pay a heavy price for not doing anything towards its protection.