Newsletter No. 63;
IRBMS
stationed along the main canal, in addition to 750 average outflow from the dam into the main canal
personnel guarding the dam, which reached an all- was about 8,400 cusec, which was lowering the
time low level of 105.5 metres. The SSNNL, which is water level by about 25 centimetres per day.
executing the order of Gujarat government to
preserve the reservoir of the Narmada dam, will RIVERS OF INDIA
cut back about 4,500 cusec water from the main Brahmaputra River
canal even as farmers have been warned against Tributaries of River Brahmaputra
drawing water from the canal from March 16
onward.
Part- 4
Jaldhaka River: Jaldhaka River, also known as
The SSNNL, which released about 9,500 cusec
water into the main canal until March 15 — the
deadline for the supply of irrigation water — will
only release about 5,000 cusec of water through
the Irrigation Bypass Tunnel (IBPT)from the 16 th .
While SSNNL officials confirmed, a water cut is
also likely to affect the cities and towns that are
heavily dependent on the Narmada dam. This is
the first time that the dead storage of the reservoir
has been put into use after the inflow of water
from the Indirasagar and Omkareshwar dams in
Madhya Pradesh ceased. The current inflow of
Dichu River, is a transboundary river and having a
total length of 192 km. originating from the Kupup
or Bitang lake (a glacial lake) in south-eastern
Sikkim of Eastern Himalayas at a height of 8800 m.
It flows through Bhutan and districts of West
Bengal viz. Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Coochbehar.
The
river
then
enters
Bangladesh
through
Lalmonihat district before joining with river
Dharla in the South until the later debouches into
the river Brahmaputra near Kurrigram district.
The river is actually formed by the union of three
streams viz. Bindu Khola, Dud Pokhri and Jaldhaka
at Darjeeling district in West Bengal. It has a
water is 2,500 cusec.
catchment area of 5020 Sq. Km. In which 75% is in
SSNNL officials said cutting back on the irrigation West Bengal, India.
supply would mean that the water will suffice for The main tributaries of the river in the right bank
drinking purposes through the summer. are the Murti, the Naksal Khola, the Sutunga Jorda
etc., while those in the left bank are the Diana, the
There was a faint of hope that Madhya Pradesh will Rehti, Duduya, the Munjai etc. In one study it has
soon release water into the dam from Indirasagar, been noticed that in monsoon around 3.80 lakh Cu
which generates power. “Until March 15, the Sec water of Jaldhaka River enters into Bangladesh
5
Integrated River Basin Management Society