THE NARMADA RIVER
[View of Picturesque Narmada Bank Near Jabalpur]
The Narmada,also called Rewa is a river in central India and the fifth largest river in the Indian
subcontinent.
It forms the traditional boundary between North India and South India and flows westwards over a
length of 1,312 km (815.2 mi) before draining through the Gulf of Cambey (Khambat) into the Arabian
Sea, 30 km (18.6 mi) west of Bharuch city of Gujarat.
It is one of only three major rivers in peninsular India that runs from east to west (largest west flowing
river) along with the Tapti River and the Mahi River.
It is the only river in India that flows in a rift valley flowing west between the Satpura and Vindhya
ranges although the Tapti River and Mahi River also flow through rift valleys but between different
ranges.
It flows through the states of Madhya Pradesh (1,077 km (669.2 mi)), Maharashtra, (74 km (46.0 mi))–
(35 km (21.7 mi)) border between Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra and (39 km (24.2 mi) border
between Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat and in Gujarat (161 km (100.0 m
[Dhuandhar falls at dusk]
(Sardar Sarovar Dam, Gujarat, partially completed)
The source of the Narmada is a small tank called Narmada Kund located on the Amarkantak hill (1,057 m
(3,467.8 ft)), in the Anuppur District of eastern Madhya Pradesh.
Emerging from the Marble Rocks the river enters its first fertile basin, which extends about
320 km (198.8 mi), with an average width of 35 km (21.7 mi), in the south.
The banks are about (12 m (39.4 ft)) high.
It is in the first valley of the Narmada that many of its important tributaries from the south join it
and bring the waters of the northern slopes of the Satpura hills.
Tributaries Among them are: the Sher, the Shakkar, the Dudhi, the Tawa (biggest tributary)
& the Ganjal. The Hiran, the Barna, the Choral, the Karam and the Lohar are the important
tributaries joining from the north.
Narmada basin
The Narmada basin, hemmed between Vindya and Satpura ranges, extends over an area of
98,796 km2 (38,145.3 sq mi)
[Marble rocks alongside Narmada River]
[The River Narmada flows through a gorge of Marble rocks in Bhedaghat in Jabalpur, India]
Gujarati: તાપ્તી) ancient original name Tapi River (Sanskrit: तापी), is
a river in central India. It is one of the major rivers of peninsular India with a length of around
724 km. It is one of only three rivers in peninsular India that run from east to west - the others
being the Narmada River and the Mahi River.
The Tapti River
The river rises in the eastern Satpura Range of southern Madhya Pradesh state, and flows
westward, draining Madhya Pradesh's Nimar region, Maharashtra's Kandesh and east Vidarbha
regions in the northwest corner of the Deccan Plateau and south Gujarat, before emptying into
the Gulf of Cambay of the Arabian Sea, in the Surat District of Gujarat.
The river, along with the northern parallel Narmada river, form the boundaries between North
and South India.
The Western Ghats or Sahyadri range starts south of the Tapti River near the border of Gujarat
and Maharashtra.
The Tapti (Tapi) River empties into the Gulf of Khambhat near the city of Surat in Gujar
The principal tributaries of the Tapti River are the Purna River, Girna River, Panzara River,
Waghur River, Bori River and Aner River. Other tributaries include:
The Tapti River basin encompasses an area of 65,145 km², which is nearly two percent of the
total area of India. The basin lies in the states of Maharashtra (51,504 km²), Madhya Pradesh
(9,804 km²) and Gujarat (3,837 km²).
The basin lies mostly in the northern and eastern districts Maharashtra state, including Amravati,
Akola, Buldhana, Washim, Jalgaon, Dhule, Nandurbar, and Nashik districts, but also includes
the Betul and Burhanpur districts of Madhya Pradesh and the Surat district of Gujarat
THIS RIVER IS ALSO KNOWN AS TWIN OF THE NARMADA RIVER.