The Ib River is a tributary of the

Mahanadi River The Mahanadi River is a major river in East Central India. It drains an area of around and has a total length of . Mahanadi is also known for the Hirakud Dam which was the first major multipurpose river valley project after India's independence ...

in central India, which it joins to flow directly into the Hirakud Reservoir in Odisha state. The Ib originates in hills near Pandrapet at an elevation of . It passes through

Raigarh District Raigarh district is a district of the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Raigarh is the district headquarters. The district was formed by merging the princely states of Raigarh State, Raigarh, Sakti State, Sakti, Sarangarh State, Sarangarh, ...

and Jashpur District in

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (; ) is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in Central India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the List ...

, and Jharsuguda and Sundargarh Districts in

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

, before it finally meets the Mahanadi at Hirakud Dam. The Ib River valley is famous for its rich coal belt, the Ib Valley Coalfield. Major portions of the Mahanadi Coalfields are situated on the banks of the Ib. The Ib valley areas are counted as one of the most important industrial zones of Eastern India. The river runs for a distance of about and drains an area of .Hydrology and Water Resources of India by Sharad K. Jain, Pushpendra K. Agarwal, Vijay P. Singh
/ref> There are sightseeing opportunities in the adjoining areas of the Ib River. It is believed that the perennial river inspired several tribal groups of Chhattisgarh and Odisha to make a permanent habitat on its bank in the past. Also, there are ample folklore tales regarding the mythological significance of the Ib River.

Watershed area

The Ib's watershed covers around 25,000 square kilometers area in

Jashpur District Jashpur District is a district of the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh bordering Jharkhand and Odisha. Jashpur Nagar is the administrative headquarters of the district. The district was formerly a princely state before Independence. Highly ...

References

{{coord, 21, 34, N, 83, 48, E, display=title, region:IN_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki Rivers of Chhattisgarh Rivers of Jashpur Tributaries of the Mahanadi River Rivers of Odisha