Mawsynram

Mawsynram is a town in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya state in northeastern India, 60.9 kilometres from Shillong.

Mawsynram receives the highest rainfall in India.

It is reportedly the wettest place on Earth, with an average annual rainfall of 11,872mm but that claim is disputed.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Mawsynram received 26,000 millimetres (1,000 in) of rainfall in 1985.

Sundarban Biosphere Reserve

Sundarbans is the largest delta and mangrove forest in the world.

The Indian Sunderbans, which covers 4,200 sq km, comprises of the Sunderban Tiger Reserve of 2,585 sq km is home to about 96 Royal Bengal Tigers (2020) is also a world heritage site and a Ramsar Site.

The Indian Sunderbans is bound on the west by river Muriganga and on the east by rivers Harinbhahga and Raimangal.

Other major rivers flowing through this eco-system are Saptamukhi, Thakuran, Matla and Goasaba.

Recent studies claim that the Indian Sundarban is home to 2,626 faunal species and 90% of the country’s mangrove varieties.

■ Dibru-Saikhowa National Park

◇ DSNP is a national park in Assam located in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts.

◇ It was designated a Biosphere Reserve in July 1997 with an area of 765 sq. km.

◇ The park is bounded by the Brahmaputra and Lohit Rivers in the north and the Dibru river in the south.

◇ It mainly consists of moist mixed semi-evergreen forests, moist mixed deciduous forests, canebrakes, and grasslands.

◇ It is the largest Salix swamp forest in north-eastern India, with a tropical monsoon climate with a hot and wet summer and cool and usually dry winter.

 

■PONG DAM WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

◇ Maharana Pratap Sagar (Himachal Pradesh). In 1975, Pong dam was built across the Beas River.

◇ It is also called the Pong reservoir or the Maharana Pratap Sagar.

◇ In 1983, the entire reservoir was declared as a Wildlife Sanctuary by the Himachal Pradesh government.

◇ In 1994, the Government of India declared it a “Wetland of National Importance”.

◇ Pong Dam Lake was declared as Ramsar Site in November 2002.

■ CAUVERY RIVER

● Why in News ?

◇ Karnataka is readying itself to wage a legal battle in the Supreme Court against Tamil Nadu’s ambitious Cauvery-Vellaru-Vaigai-Gundar river linking project.

● Prelims Pointers :-

◇ Tamil Nadu is trying to utilise surplus 45 Tmcft of water.

◇ Karnataka Government says, “this project is not in accordance with the Interstate River Water Disputes Act.

◇ According to the Act, surplus water should also be adjudicated and the tribunal has to decide on it.

👇 INDUS RIVER SYSTEM 👇

■ INDUS RIVER.

● Prelims Pointers :-

◇ Length - 2880Km of which 709Km in India.

◇ Originates - From Bokhar chu(Glacier) in northern slope of Mt. Kailash.

◇ It enters India near Damchok.

◇ Flows in India through the Leh district in J&K only.

◇ Enters Pakistan near Chillar in the Dardistan region.

◇ Important Tributaries :-

Right bank - Shyok, Gilgit, Nubra, Kabul.

Left bank - Zaskar, satluj, beas, ravi, chenab, Jhelum.

▪︎SOURCE - NCERT & D.R.KHULLAR

▪︎ @UPSC_GEOGRAPHY_NOTES

■ SATLUJ RIVER

◇ Other names - Satadru or Satudri.

◇ Called Langechan Khambab in Tibet.

◇ Rises from Rakas Lake situated near Mansarovar lake in Tibet.

◇ At the pass of Shipki la it enters HP where it cuts through Zaskar and Himalayan ranges.

◇ Below Bhakra Dam it enters in Punjab plains.

◇ It meets Beas in the south-west corner of Kapurthala.

◇ From Ferozepur to Fazilka it forms boundary between India and Pakistan.

◇ During it onward journey, it receives collective drainage of Ravi, Chenab & Jhelum River.

◇ It joins Indus few Kms above Mithankot.

RIGHT BANK TRIBUTARIES OF GANGES 👇

■ YAMUNA RIVER

◇ Longest and Western-most tributary of Ganges.

◇ Source - Yamunotri Glacier in westernslopes of Banderpunch.

◇ It makes boundary between Delhi and Haryana.

◇ It passes through Delhi, Mathura, Agra and flows southward till joins Ganges in Prayagraj.

◇ It creates highly fertile Alluvial, Yamuna-Ganges Doab region.

◇ Important Tributaries of Yamuna - Chambal, Betwa, ken and Tons.

▪︎ SOURCE - NCERT and D.R. KHULLAR.

▪︎JOIN 👉 @upsc_geography_notes

■ CHAMBAL RIVER

#Drainagesystem

◇ Rises in highlands of Janpao hills in Vindhyan range south of Mhow.

◇ Flows in - MP, Rajasthan(Kota) and UP.

◇ It discharge into Yamuna near Bhareh in UP.

◇ Tributaries :-

• Left bank - Banas and Bej.

• Right bank - Kali, Sind, Parbati, Kunwari.

◇ Dams :-

• Gandhi-Sagar Dam.
• Rana pratap sagar Dam.
• Jawahar Sagar Dam.
• Kota barrage.

▪︎ @upsc_geography_notes

■ BANAS RIVER

◇ Originates at Aravallis in the Khamnor hills near Kumbalgarh.

◇ Joins Chambal on Rajasthan-MP border near Sawai-Madhopur.

◇ Tributaries :-

• Right bank - Berach, Manali

• Left bank - Kothari, Dheel, Sohadara, Morel

◇ Major Dam - Bisalpur

▪︎SOURCE - NCERT and D.R. KHULLAR.

▪︎@upsc_geography_notes

■ BETWA RIVER

◇ Rises in Bhopal (Vindhyan range) and joins Yamuna near Hamirpur

◇ Dhasan is its important tributaries.

◇ Ken - Betwa link

• It is a project proposed to transfer excess water from the River Ken to the Betwa basin through the use of a concrete canal.

• The project aims to provide irrigation to the Bundelkhand region, which is one of the worst drought-affected areas in India. The beneficiary states are Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

■ KEN RIVER

◇ Originates from Barner range of MP.

◇ It makes through Panna dist. (MP) where it makes gorge at Gangau.

◇ Joins Yamuna river in Banda dist. in UP.

◇ Ken - Betwa link

• It is a project proposed to transfer excess water from the River Ken to the Betwa basin through the use of a concrete canal.

• The project aims to provide irrigation to the Bundelkhand region, which is one of the worst drought-affected areas in India. The beneficiary states are Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

■ SON RIVER

◇ Origin - Maikal hills (Vindhyanchal range, Anuppur district – Madhya Pradesh).

◇ Flows in MP, UP and Bihar.

◇ Dams - Bansagar Dam, Indrapuri Dam.

◇ River sone joins Ganges near Patna.

◇ Tributaries : -

• Rihand River • Johila River

• Kanhar River • North koel River

• Gopad River • Chhoti Mahanadi River.

■ DAMODAR RIVER

◇ Rises in Chotanagpur Plateau.

◇ Rich in Mineral resources. Valley has Mining and Industrial activity.

◇ Valley is called Ruhr of India because of several dams which have been constructed for generation of Power.

◇ It used to cause floods as a result got name Sorrow of Bengal.

◇ Tributaries :-

• Barakar • Konar • Bokaro etc

◇ It joins Hugli below Kolkata.

■ RAMGANGA.

◇ Rises in Garhwal district of UK.

◇ River deflects to the South west by shiwaliks.

◇ Emerge in Ganga plain in Najibabad.

◇ The Khoh, the Gangan, the Aril, the Kosi, and the Deoha (Gorra) are important tributaries of Ramganga.

◇ Joins River Ganga in Hardoi district opposite of Kannauj.

■ GHAGHRA RIVER

#Drainagesystem

◇ Also know as Kuriala in Nepal Himalayas.

◇ Originates near Gurla Mandhata peak, south of Mansarovar in Tibet.

◇ Tributaries :-

• Sarda • Sarayu • Rapti

◇ Passing through Ayodhya and Faizabad town, it joins River Ganges at Chapra near Ballia Town.

▪︎@upsc_geography_notes

■ KALI RIVER

◇ Also know as Sharda river.

◇ originates at Kalapani in the Himalayas in the Pithoragarh district in Uttarakhand.

◇ It forms boundary between Nepal and Kumaun.

◇ It discharges in Ghagra river in UP.

◇ River Projects :-

• Tanakpur hydro-electric project.

• Chameliya hydro-electric project.

• Sharda Barrage Project.

◇ Kalapani dispute :-

• The Treaty of Sugauli signed by the Kingdom of Nepal and British India (after Anglo-Nepalese War) in 1816 located the Kali River as Nepal's western boundary with India.

• The discrepancy in locating the source of the river led to boundary disputes between India and Nepal, with each country producing maps supporting their own claims.