River Tapti

The Tapti (or Tapi) river flows towards the south of the Narmada river and then westwards before ending in the Arabian Sea. The river is 724km long and flows through the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh.

1. The river is probably named after the goddess, Tapati, the little daughter of Surya, the Sun god, and Chhaya.
2. It is one of the most significant rivers of peninsular India.
3. The three significant rivers which flow from east to west in peninsular India are Narmada, Mahi, and Tapti.
4. Tapti Nadi covers its largest area in Maharashtra.
5. It has a seepage area of 65145 Sq. Km., out of which almost 80% is in Maharashtra.
6. Tapti covers its initial 282 km in Madhya Pradesh.

Tributaries : 

River Tapti has a few tributaries on the two banks. There are 14 feeders of the Tapti nadi, having an overall length of more than 50 km.

Tapti’s left bank seepage framework is broader when contrasted with the right bank area.

The left bank tributaries are

• Nesu
• Arunavati
• Buray
• Panjhra
• Bori
• Girna
• Waghur
• Purna
• Mona
• Sipna

Location:

Country: India

State: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh

Bowl size: 62,225 square kilometres (24,025 sq m)

Tapti river origin:

The Tapti river origin lies at Multai, which is a heavenly spot and the beginning of the  journey of Tapti. The daughter of Surya, the Sun God, Mata Tapti is venerated in two unique sanctuaries, Prachin Mandir and Naveen Mandir.

Release :

• Area: Dumas Beach
• Normal: 489 m3/s (17,300 cu ft/s)
• Least: 2 m3/s (71 cu ft/s)
• Greatest: 9,830 m3/s (347,000 cu ft/s)

History 

The Tevatia faction’s history is related to Tapti Nadi. Historian BS Dahiya states that certain coins were found at Ujjain.  The coins depicted a stream with a fish on one side. Presumably, its (Tapti’s) Sanskrit equivalent is Turvasti. The coins, by all accounts, had a stronger circulation than that in Maurya times. The name, which is the name of a spot, has all the signs of being associated with the dynastic name of Turvasha. 

Climatic conditions

The environment of the Tapi basin is described by:

Temperature

The temperature of the Tapi bowl is highest in May and lowest in the period stretching from December to January. 

Precipitation

The southwest rainstorm sets in the Tapi bowl in June and pulls out by mid-October. Around 90% of absolute precipitation is received during the stormy months, of which half is received in July and August

Topography: 

.  The river is surrounded on three sides by slopes and ranges. The Tapi river and its feeders flow over the fields of Vidarbha and Khandesh and a small region in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

The bowl has an elongated shape – 587 km from east to west and a width of 210 km from north to south.

The relative humidity in the bowl varies between  34.6 % and 92.4 % in the morning and the evening relative humidity is between 25.4 % and 85.8 %, depending on the season. 

Important projects in Tapi basin :

Hatnur Dam (Maharashtra)

This is the main phase of the Upper Tapi project. It comprises a 717 m long ogee weir in the middle with an 1863 m long earthen dike on either side built across Tapi, close to Hatnur town in the Jalgaon area of Maharashtra.

Ukai Dam (Gujarat)

This is stage 2  of the multipurpose Ukai Project. It is 4928 metres in length and 68.6 metres in height. It is a high, composite earth-cum-brickwork dam across the Tapi river close to the Ukai town in the Surat region of Gujarat. It incorporates a spillway with a power dam built on the left bank. Two trenches take off from one or the other bank to inundate an area of 1.58 lakh ha.

Girna Dam (Maharashtra)

It is built across river Girna, a feeder of Tapi close to Poznan town in Nandgaon taluka of Nasik area. This is a multipurpose plan, the fundamental object being strengthening the water system.

Dahigam Weir (Maharashtra)

It is built across Girna close to Dahigaon town in Pachora Taluka of the Jalgaon region of Maharashtra. It comprises an ogee weir having a length of 422.76 m.

Hydropower development

At present, the hydro power station is situated in Ukai Dam.

Conclusion 

In this article, we have discussed and learned about the various aspects of Tapti Nadi including Tapti river origin, length, temperature, dams constructed, history, and tributaries of  Tapti Nadi.