Sabarmati River


The Sabarmati river is one of the major west-flowing rivers in India. It originates in the Aravalli Range of the Udaipur District of Rajasthan and meets the Gulf of Khambhat of Arabian Sea after travelling in a south-westerly direction across Rajasthan and Gujarat. of the river length is in Rajasthan, while is in Gujarat.

Basin

The catchment area of the Sabarmati basin is out of which lies in Rajasthan State and the remaining in Gujarat. The basin is located in a semi-arid zone with rainfall ranging from in different parts of the basin. The river traverses three geomorphic zones: rocky uplands, middle alluvial plains, and lower estuarine zone.
The major tributaries are the Watrak, Wakal, Hathmati, Harnav, and Sei rivers. Average annual water availability in the Sabarmati basin is per capita, which is significantly lower than the national average of per capita.
The Sabarmati is a seasonal river whose flows are dominated by the monsoon, with little or no flows post-monsoon. An average flow of per second was measured at Ahmedabad during the period 1968-1979. Over the past century, the flood of August 1973 is considered to be the largest flood, when a flow of per second was measured at Dharoi.

History

One of the myths surrounding the origin of the river is that Shiva brought the goddess Ganga to Gujarat and that caused the Sabarmati to come into being.
During India's independence struggle, Mahatma Gandhi established Sabarmati Ashram as his home on the banks of this river.
The National Water Quality Programme led by Central Pollution Control Board positions Sabarmati River as one of the most polluted rivers in India.

Dams

There are several reservoirs on Sabarmati and its tributaries. The Dharoi dam is located on the main river. Hathmati dam, Harnav dam and Guhai dam are located on the tributaries meeting the main river upstream of Ahmedabad while Meshvo reservoir, Meshvo pick-up weir, Mazam dam and Watrak dam are located on tributaries meeting downstream. The Kalpasar is planned project in the Gulf of Khambhat.

Gallery