Tributaries and Origin of River Chambal

The Chambal, a large river, flows across northern India’s Chambal Valley. It rises in the Vindhya Range south of Mhow in western Madhya Pradesh and is the Yamuna’s principal tributary. The river runs north from its source into the state of Rajasthan, in the southeast. Once in the Yamuna, it runs through Uttar Pradesh for 550 miles (900 km) before turning north and forming a border between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and ending up in the Yamuna. The Banas, Parbati, Sipra, and Kali Sindh are some of its most important tributaries. In the lower channel of the Chambal, a 10-mile (16 km) band of badland gullies has been formed due to accelerated soil erosion. 

Economic Importance

The Chambal is critical to India’s economy with four dams. The Gandhi Sagar Dam, the oldest, is located at the entrance of the Kanjarda Plateau. Each of the dam’s five generators has a capacity of 23 megawatts (MW). In 1952, India’s first 5-year plan began with constructing a dam near the city of Kota. The Rana Pratap Sagar Dam was the final dam constructed on Chambal before the third and final dam, the Jawahar Sagar Dam, was completed.

Tourism

Compared to other Indian rivers, the Chambal River is considered to have lower pollution levels. The National Chambal Sanctuary was established in 1979. The sanctuary is 425 km long and two to six km wide. It is a popular destination for eco-tourists, and the area is great for birding and spotting crocodiles. However, in recent years, human pollution has forced its way into the river, jeopardising the ecological system that thrived without human interference. Waste and industrial runoff are already having an impact on the area. Other interesting cities found along the Chambal River include Kota in Rajasthan.

Ravines

Its badland topography includes gullies, an undulating floodplain, and ravines–a key feature of the Chambal valley. Rapid vertical erosion caused by streams and rivers moving through semi-arid and dry regions results in the formation of ravines, a type of fluvial erosional feature found in arid and semi-arid environments.

Formation of Ravines of the Chambal

According to researchers, the climate of a region is a significant influence in the formation of ravines. However, the ravines of Chambal are slightly more difficult to describe merely in terms of climate. The region through which the Chambal River passes does not receive adequate rainfall, resulting in 60–80 m deep ravines in the Chambal River basin. Scientists attribute the formation of the Chambal ravines to non-tectonic activity.

Other Factors Causing Ravines

At the beginning of a river’s life, it is generally known to be full of vitality and actively erodes. When the river reaches its base level, it gradually becomes quiet. However, occasionally, due to tectonic changes, the base level may be lowered further, reactivating the river and reviving the erosion process, in what is also known as river rejuvenation. The creation of the Chambal ravines has also resulted from wind erosion, exacerbating the situation.

National Chambal Sanctuary

The National Chambal Sanctuary is located in Dholpur between latitudes 24°55′ to 26°50′ N and longitudes 75°34′ to 79°18’E. Uttar Pradesh comprises the broad arc shaped by Chambal between Jawahar Sagar Dam and the Chambal-Yamuna confluence in Rajasthan. Two of the river’s sections are protected as part of the National Chambal Sanctuary designation: the upper sector (from Jawahar Sagar Dam to Kota Barrage) and the lower sector (from Rajasthan’s Keshoraipatan to Uttar Pradesh’s Chambal-Yamuna confluence). The sanctuary was established to assist in the restoration of ecological health to a major north Indian river system and offer complete protection for the critically endangered gharial Gavialis gangeticus.

Dams on the Chambal

At the source of the Chambal, the river flows through a deep gorge for a distance of 96 km. In the middle of this stretch lies the Gandhisagar Dam. The reservoir has a considerable storage capacity despite its relatively modest height due to the presence of a deep valley immediately upstream of the dam. A dam is built at the lower end of the Kundal Plateau, where the river flows for 48 km. Upstream of the dam, the geography allows for reasonable storage. Further down, in the Kota gorge, stands the Jawahar Sagar Dam. The Kota Barrage is near the town of Kota when the Kota River emerges from its canyon and enters the plateau. The Kota Barrage drains 27,319 km sq of land.

Conclusion

Flowing into the Yamuna in central and northern India, the Chambal is part of the wider Gangetic drainage system. It flows north-northeast through Madhya Pradesh, turns southeast to join the Yamuna River in Uttar Pradesh state, passes through Rajasthan and forms the border between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, and turns north-northeast again to join the Yamuna River in Uttar Pradesh. It is considered less polluted than other Indian rivers and home to an incredible riverine faunal assemblage, including Gangetic river dolphins, the mugger and gharial species of crocodilians, freshwater turtles, smooth-coated otters, sarus cranes, skimmers, and black-necked storks, amongst others.