Key Facts about Chambal River

April 29, 2024

A group of environmentalists have raised concerns regarding increasing pollutants in the Chambal River.

About Chambal River:

  • It is an important river in the Malwa plateau and a principal tributary of the Yamuna River, thus forms part of the greater Gangetic drainage system. It flows through Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. 
  • Course:
    • It rises in the Vindhya Range just south of Mhow, in western Madhya Pradesh.
    • From its source, it flows north into southeastern Rajasthan.
    • Turning northeast, it flows past Kota and along the Rajasthan–Madhya Pradesh border; shifting east-southeast, it forms a portion of the Uttar Pradesh–Madhya Pradesh border and flows through Uttar Pradesh to empty into the Yamuna.
  • To its south, east and west, the basin is defined by the Vindhyan mountain ranges, while the north-western boundary is marked by the Aravalli range.
  • Tributaries: The main tributaries of Chambal include the Banas and Mej rivers on the left and the Parbati, Kali Sindh and Shipra rivers on the right.
  • Major Dams: Gandhi Sagar Dam, Rana Pratap Sagar Dam, and Jawahar Sagar Dam.
  • National Chambal Sanctuary:
    • It encapsulates a significant segment of the Chambal River, spanning from the Jawahar Sagar Dam in Rajasthan to the Chambal-Yamuna confluence in Uttar Pradesh. 
    • It was established with the imperative to restore ecological equilibrium to a crucial north Indian river system and to provide comprehensive protection to the highly endangered gharial.

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