GANGA 63rd Issue | Page 5

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