KRISHNA - A RIVER WITH A HIGH FERTILE DELTA

Krishna River, in southern India, rising in Maharashtra state in the Western Ghats range near the old town of Mahabaleshwar, not far from India’s west coast.  It flows east to Wai and then in a generally southeasterly direction past Sangli to the border of Karnataka State.  There the river turns east and flows in an irregular course across Karnataka and into Andhra Pradesh state.  It veers southeast and the northeast, flows east to its delta head at Vijayawada, and from there flows into the Bay of Bengal after a course about 800 mi (1,300 km).

The Krishna has a large and very fertile delta continuous with that of the Godavari River, to the northeast.  Although it is not navigable, the Krishna provides water for irrigation; a weir at Vijayawada controls the flow of water into a system of canals in the delta.  Because it is fed by seasonal monsoon rains, the river’s flow undergoes great fluctuation during the year, limiting its usefulness for irrigation.  The two largest tributaries are the Bhima (north) and the Tungabhadra (south).  Among them Tungabhadra has a dam, completed in 1957, at Hospet, forming a reservoir and supplying electric power.

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JHELUM - A RIVER THAT ORIGINATES IN JAMMU & KASHMIR

This Jhelum River, westernmost of the five in the Punjab that drain into the Indus River in Pakistan.  The Jhelum rises from a deep spring at Vernag, in the Indian-held sector of Jammu And Kashmir State.  The river meanders north-westward from the northern slope of the Pir Panjal Range through the Vale of Kashmir, past Anantnag and Srinagar, to Wular Lake.  It emerges from the lake, which controls its flow, near Sopur and crosses the Pir Panjal in a 7,000-ft (2,100-m) gorge with almost perpendicular sides.  At Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Kashmir, it joins the Kishanganga River and then bends southward, forming part of the border between Azad Kashmir (east) and Northwest Frontier Province, Pakistan (west).

Near Mangala, the Jhelum River breaks through the Siwalik Range into alluvial plains that are dissected into terraces and lake deposits known as Karewas.  Pleistocene glacial deposits (10,000-2,500,000 years old) eroded by the river have yielded fossil mammals and remains of human habitation.  At Jhelum town the river turns southwestward along the Salt Range to Khushab, where it again bends south to join the Chenab River near Trimmu.  The total length of the Jhelum is about 450 mi (725 km).

The lower course of the Jhelum has been developed for irrigation and the production of hydroelectric power.  The Mangla Dam and Reservoir irrigates about 3,000,000 ac (1,200,000 ha) and has a potential hydroelectric capacity of upto 1,000,000 kw.  The upper Jhelum Canal leaves the river at Mangla and runs eastward to the Chenab River at Khanki, while the lower Jhelum Canal starts at Rasul.  Both canals are used for irrigation.

Bridges at Jhelum town carry the main road and railway between Lahore and Rawalpindi.  There are also road and rail bridges at Malakwal and Khushab.

Jhelum town, on the right bank of the river, is said to lie opposite the site of Bucephala of Alexander the Great (4^th Century BC).  The river itself is believed to be the Hydaspes mentioned by Arrian, Alexander’s historian, and the Bidaspes of Ptolemy.  It is known as the Vitastaa in Sanskrit, the Bihat (Wihat, Bhiatab) in Muslim writings, and the Veth in Modern Kashmiri.

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ILLUSTRIOUS RIVER - INDUS

 

The Indus is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The 3,180 km (1,980 mi) river rises in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the Ladakh and Gilgit-Baltistan regions of Kashmir, bends sharply to the left after the Nanga Parbat massif, and flows south-by-southwest through Pakistan, before it empties into the Arabian Sea near the port city of Karachi.

The river has a total drainage area exceeding 1,165,000 km² (450,000 sq mi). Its estimated annual flow is around 243 km³ (58 cu mi), making it one of the 50 largest rivers in the world in terms of average annual flow.^[10] Its left-bank tributary in Ladakh is the Zanskar River, and its left-bank tributary in the plains is the Panjnad River which itself has five major tributaries, namely the Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers. Its principal right-bank tributaries are the Shyok, Gilgit, Kabul, Kurram, and Gomal rivers. Beginning in a mountain spring and fed with glaciers and rivers in the Himalayan, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush ranges, the river supports the ecosystems of temperate forests, plains, and arid countryside.

The northern part of the Indus Valley, with its tributaries, forms the Punjab region of South Asia, while the lower course of the river ends in a large delta in the southern Sindh province of Pakistan. The river has historically been important to many cultures of the region. The 3rd millennium BCE saw the rise of Indus Valley Civilisation, a major urban civilization of the Bronze Age. During the 2nd millennium BCE, the Punjab region was mentioned in the Rigveda hymns as Sapta Sindhu and in the Avesta religious texts as Saptha Hindu (both terms meaning "seven rivers"). Early historical kingdoms that arose in the Indus Valley include Gandhāra, and the Ror dynasty of Sauvīra. The Indus River came into the knowledge of the Western world early in the classical period, when King Darius of Persia sent his Greek subject Scylax of Caryanda to explore the river, c. 515 BCE.  In Sanskrit, the river Indus called SINDHU.

“Gange cha yamune chaiva Godavari Sarasvathi l

  Narmade SINDHU Kaveri Jale(a)smin Sannidhim Kuru ll

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HOOGLI - A HISTORICAL RIVER

 

Hugli River, Hugli also spelled Hooghly, river in West Bengal state, north-eastern India. An arm of the Ganges (Ganga) River, it provides access to Kolkata (Calcutta) from the Bay of Bengal.  It is formed by the junction of the Bhagirathi and Jalangi rivers at Nabadwip. From there the Hugli flows generally south for about 160 miles (about 260 km) to the Bay of Bengal, through a heavily industrialized area with more than half of West Bengal’s population. The river’s lower reaches are fed by the Ajay, Damodar, Rupnarayan, and Haldi rivers, which rise to the northwest on the Chota Nagpur plateau area. Although above Kolkata the river is silted up, it is navigable to the city by oceangoing ships. Navigation is facilitated by constant dredging and the scour of a tidal bore that rushes inland at high tide. Negotiations with Bangladesh have been held to divert waters in the Ganges River in such a way as to prevent silting at Kolkata. From Kolkata the Hugli flows west and south to the Rupnarayan estuary, then twists south and southwest, entering the Bay of Bengal through an estuary 3 to 20 miles (5 to 32 km) wide. It is spanned by a cantilever bridge between Haora and Kolkata and by the Bally Bridge between Bally and Baranagar.

 

Hugli is a city where the River Hugli flows in the state Calcutta. Hooghly (now Hugli) was founded by the Portuguese in 1537 following the decline of Satgaon, the mercantile capital of Lower Bengal. Mughal armies expelled the Portuguese from Hooghly in 1632. Hooghly was also the first English settlement (1651) in Lower Bengal; it was abandoned in 1690 for Calcutta (now Kolkata).

About A.D 1579, the city Hugli was captured by Portuguese.  They strengthen their position by the erection of large buildings round about Hugli.  In eastern India, Hugli was much opulence city like Benares, Patna, Rajmahal, Burdwan, Dacca and Chittagong because of its waterway.  A factory was established at the bank of Hugli, under Mr. Bridgeman, in 1651.  Due to the prosperity of the River Hugli, the entire Hugli-region where the East Indian Company firmly decided to protect themselves by force.

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THE GIANT RIVER - GANGA

 

Ganga is Great River of the plains of North India, holds sacred by people of Hindu faith.  India owes much to the River Ganga for her material prosperity and cultural evolution. Starting the career with the Indus Valley Culture, they gradually gained importance, soon eclipsed the popularity of the Rivers Yamuna and Sarasvati and ultimately became the symbol of Indian Culture, With scores of tirthas and centres of learning, springing up on their banks and attracting pilgrims and scholars from all parts of the country, these rivers became the nerve - centres of socio religious and intellectual activities of the people. They inspired a unique sense of national unity and realisation of the higher ideals of Hindu life, Sanskrit literature abounds in description of these two rivers. Inscriptions and foreign works contain numerous allusions to them, Indian art, being the true reflection of the society, could not ignore these life-streams of Indian thought. The adoption of the Ganga as motifs was an important event in the history of Indian art providing new openings to Indian genius.

In Vedic literature the stories regarding the brigin of the Ganga are not found. In the tenth mandala of the Rgveda. The Nadi-Sukta contains mention of the Ganga and the Yamuna. At another place the word Gangya has been used as an adjective of the Urukaksha. In later Vedic literature, however, the mention of the Ganga, Bhagiratha, Kapila, Jahnu, Santanu and Gautama, etc., is found.  In the Valmiki Ramayana the birth of Kartikeya and the descending of Ganga from the heaven on the earth by the efforts of Bhagiratha, are described.  Rshi Visvamitra is said to have told these stories to Rama and Lakshmana. The first story is found before the second one as a background. The Valmiki Ramayana also deposes that while crossing the Ganga and the Yamuna on her way to the forest, Sita promised to propitiate both the river goddess with numerous gifts, should they ensure her safe return along with Rama and Lakshmana to Ayodhya.  In the work Yoga Vaasiahtha Ramayana, the origin of the Ganga by the efforts of Bhagiratha is mentioned in a different way. The story regarding the origin of the Gariga is described by Vasishtha at the request of Rama. In the Ramayana, however, the story is told by Visvamitra. The stories regarding the Ganga are found in the Mahabharata also. According to the first story the Ganga came on the earth as the result of the curse of Brahma and there she got married to Santanu. Ganga  gave birth to Bhishma. She helped Bhishma in his fight against Parasurama and cursed Amba. Again when Bhishma was lying on the arrows after his final battle with the Pandavas, she sent Munis to see him in the guise of geese. She cried bitterly on the death of Bhishma. According to the second story of the Mahabharata. River Ganga came here on the earth for the welfare of the people due to Bhagiratha'a penance. The deity-cum river form of the Ganga is represented in this story. The representation of the Ganga as a river is also depicted in Anusasana Parva. The seven streams of the River Ganga are mentioned in the Bhishma Parva,

Alakananda, Bhagirathi, Mandakini, Dhauli-Ganga and Pindara are five head-streams of the River Ganga all rise in the Uttarkhand division of the Indian State.  On its 1,557 – mi (2,506-km) course the River Ganga flows in a southeasterly direction across Uttar Pradesh through the Indian states of UttaraKhand, Bihar and West Bengal.

Its major tributaries include Yamuna, Ramaganga and Ghaghara rivers in Uttar Pradesh; and the river Gandaki, Burhi Gandaki and Kosi rivers in Bihar.  In central Bangladesh River Ganga is joined from the north by the Great River Brahmaputra near Goalundo Ghat and from the north east by the Meghna River above Chandrapur.  Their combined waters empty into the Bay of Bengal through innumerable channelsthat traverse a delta measuring 200 mi (320 km) from east to west.

The Plain of the River Ganga is one of the most fertile and densely populated territories in the world, the river Ganga, for most of its course, is a wide and sluggish stream.  Its total drainage basin covers an area of about 376,800 sq mi (975,900), or roughly a quarter of the territory of India, and supports more than 300,000,000 people.  Most of the original natural vegetation and wild animals have disappeared from the basin as a whole, and the land is now intensely cultivated to meet the needs of a growing population.

Use of water for irrigation, either when the Ganga River floods or by means of gravity canals, has been common since early times.  Irrigation has increased the production of such food and cash crops as wheat, sugarcane, cotton and oilseeds in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarkahnd and Bihar.  River traffic is insignificant above the Middle Ganga Basin around Allahabad, where railways serve region, but the rural people of West Bengal and Bangladesh continue to rely on the waterway to transport jute, tea, grain and other agricultural products.

Modern industries have been established in many locations in the valley of River Ganga, exploiting local raw materials and the availability of cheap hydroelectric power.

Those who are interested may participate in the https://clap4ganga.com/ganga-quest

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FREE FLOWING FULKI RIVER

 

Fulki River is a river in western India in Gujarat whose origin is near the village of Lilpar.  Lilpar is a small Village/hamlet in Vijaynagar Taluka in Sabar Kantha District of Gujarat State, India. It comes under Lilpar Panchayath. It is located 64 KM towards North from District headquarters Himmatnagar. 124 KM from State capital Gandhinagar. Drainage basin  of this Fulki River has a maximum length of 18 km. The total catchment area of the basin is 120 km2.  Many small villages are depending on this small river for their water needs. 

Lilpar postal head office is Kodiawada.  Lilpar is surrounded by Kherwara Taluka towards East , Bhiloda Taluka towards South , Bichiwara Taluka towards East , Khedbrahma Taluka towards west.  Khedbrahma , Idar , Himatnagar , Modasa are the nearby Cities to Lilpar.  Gujarati is the Local Language here. 

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ERAI RIVER - THE MAIN TRIBUTARY OF WARDHA

 

Erai River is a tributary of Wardha River and is an important river in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra. The river originates near Kasarbodi village of Chimur  taluka and meets Wardha River near Hadasti village. It has a total length of 78 km and lies entirely within Chandrapur district.

The river has a dam built on it that is called Erai Dam.  The dam provides water to Chandrapur city and to Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station. Zarpat River is a tributary of Erai River and meets it near Mana village.

The Erai River, the main tributary of the Wardha River, is the lifeline for the people of Chandrapur in Maha-rashtra. It primarily supplies water to the Chandrapur city and Chandrapur super thermal power station (CSTPS).

Since 1984, after the initiation of operations of M/s CSTPS and Western Coalfields Limited (WCL), the river has begun to get polluted and is now gasping for breath.

The total length of the river is approximately 24 km. It originates near the Tadoba tiger reserve and ends at Hadasti near Ballarpur. In the last three decades, the river has been highly polluted by industrial effluents and sewage. Coal mining in the area has resulted in flooding in the Erai watershed area.

In 1964, when the drinking water supply scheme from the Erai was initiated, the population of Chandrapur was approx 50,000. Now, it is more than 4.5 lakh and the water is supplied to the city from the Erai dam.

“The water level of the Erai has declined substantially. The groundwater levels in the villages have also declined and the wells have gone dry. We are facing a water crisis in the area," says Subhash Gaurkar, ex-panchayat committee member, Bhatadi gram panchayat.

In summer, some of the power generating units of the thermal power plant are closed due to the shortage of water. Even the drinking water supply to the city gets affected. Now, the overall storage capacity of the river has been reduced to 35 to 40 percent out of which 50 to 60 percent of the water is polluted and not fit for drinking.

“Every year, this area gets flooded in monsoon and affects 150-200 families. Ten years ago, the groundwater level was hardly 10-15 feet but now even after digging 50 feet, we don’t get water. Despite living on the bank of the river, we are facing a water crisis," says Siraj Khan Pathan, a resident of Chandrapur.

The video, titled “The tragic tale of Erai” talks about how industrialisation has polluted the Erai river and left a population looking for drinking water.

 

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