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; however, in Hindu mythology and culture, the other headstream, the Bhagirathi, is considered the source stream.
Overview
The Alaknanda is considered to rise at the confluence and foot of the Satopanth and Bhagirath Kharak glaciers in Uttarakhand 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.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. The Alaknanda system drains parts of Chamoli, Tehri, and Pauri districts.
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.
- Govindgath :. LaxmanGanga meet Alaknanda
Several rivers in the Garhwal region merge with the Alaknanda at places called prayag or 'holy confluence of rivers'. These are:
- Vishnuprayag, where the Alaknanda is met by the Dhauliganga River
- Nandaprayag, where it is met by the Nandakini River
- Karnaprayag, where it is met by the Pindar River
- Rudraprayag, where it is met by the Mandakini River
- Devprayag, where it meets the Bhagirathi River and officially becomes the Ganges
Dams
| # | Name | Electrical output capacity | Status | Dam height | Full reservoir level | River bed level at dam site | Head race tunnel length | Tail race tunnel length | Tail water level |
| 1 | Badrinath | 1.25 | operational | ||||||
| 2 | Tapovan | 0.8 | operational | ||||||
| 3 | Tharali | 0.4 | operational | ||||||
| 4 | Tilwara | 0.2 | operational | ||||||
| 5 | Urgam | 3 | operational | ||||||
| 6 | Vishnuprayag | 400 | operational | 14 | 11.323 | ||||
| 7 | Kaliganga-I | 4 | under construction | ||||||
| 8 | Kaliganga-II | 6 | under construction | ||||||
| 9 | Koti Bhel IB | 320 | under construction | 90 | 521 | 452.5 | 230 | 463.2 | |
| 10 | Koti Bhel II | 530 | under construction | 82 | 458.5 | 401.4 | 390 | 411.1 | |
| 11 | Madhamaheshwar | 10 | under construction | ||||||
| 12 | Tapovan Vishnugad | 520 | under construction | 22 | 803.5 | 513 | 1267 | ||
| 13 | Shrinagar | 330 | under construction | ||||||
| 14 | Singoli Bhatwari | 99 | under 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 -
- Alaknanda
- Bagoli
- Bowla Nandprayag
- Chuni Semi
- Deodi
- Devsari Dam
- Gaurikund
- Gohana Tal
- Jelam Tamak
- Karnaprayag
- Lakshmanganga
- Lata Tapovan
- Maleri Jelam
- Nandprayag Langasu
- Padli Dam
- Phata-Byung
- Rambara
- Rishiganga I
- Rishiganga II
- Tamak Lata
- Urgam II
- Utyasu Dam
- Vishnugad Pipalkoti
Towns along the Alaknanda River