YAMUNA
FLOODPLAINS - GEOGRAPHY
News:
Yamuna floods: HC seeks
status report from Delhi govt in PIL seeking immediate measures at relief camps
What's
in the news?
● The
Delhi High Court asked the Delhi government to file a status report in a public
interest litigation plea seeking immediate measures to provide free ration,
medical assistance, and essentials at relief camps in the wake of the flooding
of the Yamuna River.
River
Yamuna:
Source
of river:
● It
originates from the Yamunotri glacier
on the Bandarpunch Peak in the Garhwal region in Uttarakhand at an elevation of
about 6,000 meters.
Area
of flow:
● It
flows in a southerly direction swiftly through the Himalayan foothills and,
exiting Uttarakhand, onto the
Indo-Gangetic Plain, along the border between Uttar Pradesh and Haryana
state to the west.
Features:
● It
is the largest and the most important
tributary of river Ganga.
● It
cuts across the Nag Tibba, the Mussoorie and the Shiwalik ranges. It emerges
out of the hilly area and enters the plains.
● It
merges with the Ganga near Triveni Sangam, Allahabad.
● The
confluence of the two rivers is a sacred place to Hindus and is the site of
annual festivals, as well as the Kumbh
Mela, which is held every 12 years and is attended by millions of devotees.
● The
total length of the Yamuna from its origin till Allahabad is 1,376 km.
● In
the early 1990s the national government, with financial assistance from Japan,
began implementing the Yamuna Action Plan, a multiphase project that has been
partly successful at reducing the river’s pollution levels.
● It
makes the highly fertile alluvial
Yamuna-Ganges Doab region between itself and the Ganges in the
Indo-Gangetic plain.
Tributaries:
● Non peninsular tributaries
– Rishiganga, Uma, Tons, Hindon (Left bank)
● Peninsular tributaries -
Chambal, Sind, Betwa, Ken (Right bank)
Tons
river:
● The
Tons, largest tributary of the Yamuna, has some magical spots in it’s upper
reaches.
● The
river originates at an elevation of 3900 m and joins the Yamuna below Kalsi
near Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
● It
is one of the major perennial Indian Himalayan rivers.
● It
is the biggest tributary of the Yamuna.
Chambal
river:
● The
Chambal rises in the highlands of Janapao Hills (700 m) in the Vindhya Range.
● It
flows through the Malwa Plateau.
● It
joins the Yamuna in Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh.
● Dams
- Gandhi Sagar dam, Rana Pratap Sagar dam, Jawahar sagar dam, Kota barrage.
Sindh
river:
● The
Sind originates in Vidisha Plateau of Madhya
Pradesh.
● It
flows for a distance of 415 km before merging into the Yamuna.
Betwa
river:
● The
Betwa rises in Bhopal district (Vindhya
Range) and joins the Yamuna near Hamirpur. It has a total length of 590 km.
Its important tributary is Dhasan.
Ken
river:
● The
Ken River rising from the Barner Range
of Madhya Pradesh joins the Yamuna near Chila.
Other
Key takeaways:
● The
Yamuna defines the state borders between Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and
between Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
● The
cities of Baghpat, Delhi, Noida, Mathura, Agra, Firozabad, Etawah, Kalpi,
Hamirpur, and Prayagraj lie on its banks.
● The
Kalesar National Park is one of the
best parks in India and is situated on the geographical boundary of Himachal
Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. It has the Yamuna River flowing on one
side of it.
● Okhla Bird Sanctuary
also known as Shaheed Chandra Shekhar
Azad Sanctuary is a bird sanctuary at the Okhla barrage over Yamuna River.
It is situated in Noida, Gautam Buddha Nagar district, on Delhi-Uttar Pradesh
state border.