Gandak River

Gandak River Latest News

Due to heavy rainfall in Nepal’s catchment area, the water levels of the Gandak River in Bihar have been rising continuously.

About Gandak River

• It is one of the major rivers of North India and a significant left-bank tributary of the Ganga River. 
• It is mentioned in the ancient Sanskrit epic Mahabharata.
• Course:
  • It originates at an altitude of 7620 m above msl to the north of Dhaulagiri Mountain in Tibet near the Nepal border. 
  • It is formed by the union of the Kali and Trisuli Rivers, which rise in the Great Himalayas of Nepal. 
  • From their meeting point till the Indian border, the river is known as the ‘Kali Gandaki’ and ‘Narayani’ in Nepal. 
  • It enters India near Valmikinagar in Bihar and briefly touches Uttar Pradesh, forming a small stretch of boundary.  
  • The entry point of the river is at the Indo–Nepal border and is known as Triveni.
  • After this, the river flows mainly through Bihar, covering districts like West Champaran, East Champaran, Gopalganj, and Saran. 
  • The Gandak finally joins the Ganga River opposite Patna, near Hajipur in Vaishali district, Bihar. 
• It has a total length of about 630 kilometers, out of which 185 kilometers lie in Nepal and around 445 kilometers in India.  
• The basin is bounded by the Himalayas to the north and the Ganga River to the south.
• On the sides, it lies between the Kosi basin in the east and the Karnali (Ghaghara) basin in the west. .
• There are about 1,710 glaciers and over 300 lakes in the upper catchment of Gandak.
• The basin includes three peaks over 8,000 m: Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, and Annapurna Massif.
• Due to the steep slope and loose soil in the upper catchment, Gandak carries a lot of silt and other deposits to the Indian side, resulting in a continuous shifting course of the river.
• While flowing through the Nepal Himalayas, it forms the Kali Gandaki Gorge, one of the deepest river gorges in the world.
• Two important protected areas, Chitwan National Park in Nepal and the adjacent Valmiki Tiger reserve in India, have been established in the basin.
• Major Tributaries: Daraudi, Seti, Madi, Marsyandi, and Budhi Gandaki.

News: NOA

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