Alaknanda River

The Alaknanda is a Himalayan river in the Indian state of Uttarakhand and one of the two headstreams of the Ganges, the major river of Northern India and the holy river of Hinduism. In hydrology, the Alaknanda is considered the source stream of the Ganges on account of its greater length and discharge;[1] however, in Hindu mythology and culture, the other headstream, the Bhagirathi, is considered the source stream.

Alakanandā
The sediment-laden Alaknanda river flowing into Devprayag, Uttarakhand.
The Himalayan headwaters of the Ganges river in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, India. The Alaknanda is the left bank tributary of the Ganges at Devprayag.
Native nameअलकनंदा
Location
CountryIndia
StateUttarakhand
RegionGarhwal division
DistrictChamoli, Rudraprayag, Pauri Garhwal
Physical characteristics
SourceConfluence of Satopanth Glacier and Bhagirathi Kharak Glacier
 • elevation3,880 m (12,730 ft)
2nd sourceBhagirathi River
MouthGanges
 • location
Devprayag, Uttarakhand, India
 • elevation
475 m (1,558 ft)
Length195 km (121 mi)
Basin size10,882 km2 (4,202 sq mi)
Discharge 
 • average439.36 m3/s (15,516 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftSaraswati, Dhauliganga, Nandakini, Pindar
 • rightMandakini

Overview

The Alaknanda is considered to rise at the confluence and foot of the Satopanth and Bhagirath Kharak glaciers in Uttarakhand[2][3] and meet the Sarasvati River tributary at Mana, India, 21 km from Tibet. Three km below Mana the Alaknanda flows past the Hindu pilgrimage centre of Badrinath.

River Alaknanda near Badrikashram

The origin of Alaknanda River is of special interest to the tourists who visit the important pilgrimages in Uttarakhand. The Ganges as Alaknanda rises in the southern Himalayas on the Indian side of the Tibet border. On the Satopanth Glacier 6 km up from Alaknanda's origin at its snout, the triangular Lake Satopanth is found at a height of 4350 m and it is named after the Hindu trinity Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva.

The five main tributaries joining with Alaknanda in order includes Dhauliganga, Nandakini, Pindar, Mandakini and Bhagirathi all rising in the northern mountainous regions of Uttarakhand. After the last tributary merging at Devprayag the river is known as the Ganges. The Alaknanda contributes a significantly larger portion to the flow of the Ganges than the Bhagirathi.

The Alaknanda river is among the best for river rafting in the world due to its high rafting grade.[4] The Alaknanda system drains parts of Chamoli, Tehri, and Pauri districts.[5]

Badrinath RishiGanga River meet Alaknanda

Badrinath, one of the holy destinations for Hindus in India is located near to the bank of the Alaknanda River. This place is surrounded by two mountain ranges of Nar and Narayan on either sides and Neelkanth peak located at the back of Narayan range.

  1. Govindgath :. LaxmanGanga meet Alaknanda

Panch Prayag

Several rivers in the Garhwal region merge with the Alaknanda at places called prayag or 'holy confluence of rivers'. These are:[6]

  1. Vishnuprayag, where the Alaknanda is met by the Dhauliganga River
  2. Nandaprayag, where it is met by the Nandakini River
  3. Karnaprayag, where it is met by the Pindar River
  4. Rudraprayag, where it is met by the Mandakini River
  5. Devprayag, where it meets the Bhagirathi River and officially becomes the Ganges

Dams

There are 37 hydroelectric dams in operation, under construction or planned to harness the energy of the Alaknanda river and its tributaries and generate electricity.[7]

#NameElectrical output capacity (MW)StatusDam height (m)Full reservoir level (MSL) (m)River bed level at dam site (MSL) (m)Head race tunnel length (km)Tail race tunnel length (m)Tail water level (MSL) (m)
1Badrinath1.25operational
2Tapovan0.8operational
3Tharali0.4operational
4Tilwara0.2operational
5Urgam3operational
6Vishnuprayag400operational1411.323
7Kaliganga-I4under construction
8Kaliganga-II6under construction
9Koti Bhel IB320under construction90521452.5230463.2
10Koti Bhel II530under construction82458.5401.4390411.1
11Madhamaheshwar10under construction
12Tapovan Vishnugad520under construction22803.55131267
13Shrinagar330under construction
14Singoli Bhatwari99under construction

There are 23 other proposed projects in the Alaknanda river basin through which the power-potential of the Alaknanda and its tributaries can be harnessed. The proposed 23 hydel-projects are as follows -

  1. Alaknanda (Badrinath) (300 MW)
  2. Bagoli (72 MW)
  3. Bowla Nandprayag (132 MW)
  4. Chuni Semi (60 MW)
  5. Deodi (60 MW)
  6. Devsari Dam (255 MW)
  7. Gaurikund (18.6 MW)
  8. Gohana Tal (60 MW)
  9. Jelam Tamak (60 MW)
  10. Karnaprayag (160 MW)
  11. Lakshmanganga (4.4 MW)
  12. Lata Tapovan (310 MW)
  13. Maleri Jelam (55 MW)
  14. Nandprayag Langasu (141 MW)
  15. Padli Dam (27 MW)
  16. Phata-Byung (10.8 MW)
  17. Rambara (24 MW)
  18. Rishiganga I (70 MW)
  19. Rishiganga II (35 MW)
  20. Tamak Lata (280 MW)
  21. Urgam II (3.8 MW)
  22. Utyasu Dam (860 MW)
  23. Vishnugad Pipalkoti (444 MW)

Towns along the Alaknanda River

As the river flows, the towns along its banks are Badrinath, Vishnuprayag, Joshimath, Chamoli, Nandaprayag, Karnaprayag, Rudraprayag, Srinagar and Devprayag. At each town with suffix prayag, Alaknanda meets another river.

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See also

References
  1. Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 65.
  2. "eUttaranchal".
  3. In Hindu culture "The Story of Ganga : The River Goddess".
  4. "11 Top Destinations for River Rafting in India - Travel News India". travelnewsindia.com. 31 January 2017. Archived from the original on 11 March 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  5. Singh Negi, Sharad (1995). Uttarakhand: Land and People, page 6. MD Publications Pvt Ltd. ISBN 81-85880-73-5.
  6. Kapadia, Harish (2001). Trekking and Climbing in the Indian Himalaya, page 89. Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-2953-2.
  7. Hydroelectric Projects on Alaknanda River Basin, by South Asia Network on Dams Rivers and People, www.sandrp.in

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