Source: NIE
Subject: Mapping
Context: The Ministry of Environment has directed the Central Water Commission (CWC) to ensure environmental flows in the Chambal River to protect the endangered Ganges River Dolphin.
About The Chambal River:
What it is?
- A perennial, rain-fed river in central and northern India, forming a vital part of the greater Gangetic drainage system. The Chambal is one of India’s most pristine and ecologically significant rivers, remarkably known for being nearly pollution-free and hosting a rich diversity of rare aquatic fauna.
Origin: It rises at Janapav (Singar Chouri peak) in the Vindhya Range, just south of Mhow in the Indore district of Madhya Pradesh, at an elevation of approximately 843 meters.
States Flow Through: It flows through three primary states: Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
- It also serves as a natural boundary between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
Tributary: It is the chief and largest tributary of the Yamuna River. It joins the Yamuna at Pachnada (near Bhareh, UP) in a unique confluence of five rivers.
Other Tributaries of Chambal:
- Left Bank: Banas (rising in the Aravallis), Mej.
- Right Bank: Kali Sindh, Parbati, Shipra, Kuno, Seep, and Kwari.
Key Features of the Chambal River:
- Badland Topography: The lower course is famous for the Chambal Ravines (badlands), a 16-km belt of deep gullies caused by accelerated soil erosion.
- Ancient Lineage: Geologically, it is an anterior-drainage river, meaning it is much older than the Yamuna and Ganges rivers into which it eventually flows.
- Untouched Purity: Unlike many Indian rivers, it is considered legendary for being pollution-free, largely due to local myths that once kept industrial and human activity away from its banks.
- Deep Pools: During the summer or lean seasons, the river forms deep natural pools which become critical refuge points for large aquatic mammals and reptiles.
- Steep Gradient: In its initial 16-km stretch, the river falls nearly 305 meters, eventually passing through dramatic gorges like the one near Chaurasigarh Fort.
Significance:
- It is the primary habitat for the Gharial (critically endangered), the Ganges River Dolphin, and eight species of freshwater turtles.
- A large stretch is protected as the National Chambal Sanctuary, which is vital for the conservation of the Red-crowned roofed turtle and smooth-coated otters.
