Dhasan River

One of the lesser known rivers of central India is Dhasan which forms an important part of the river network of Madhya Pradesh. It is a second order tributary of river Yamuna but an important tributary of river Betwa. It originates in Madhya Pradesh and meets Betwa on the right bank in the district of Hamirpur in Uttar Pradesh. The river has been mentioned as Dashama in the ancient texts. Like most other rivers in India, Dhasan too has a holy status and is worshipped by the nearby villagers. The source of the river is located in Begumganj tehsil in the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh. Following the topography of the land, the river flows from south to north till it finally meets the Betwa in Hamirpur in Uttar Pradesh. Of the total course of 365km, the river travels a major part that is about 240km within Madhya Pradesh. 54km of the river marks the boundary between the two states and the last 71km is in Uttar Pradesh.

Dhasan is primarily a rain fed river whose water level varies with the amount of rainfall. The area slopes from the south to the north and hence the flow of the river is in this direction. The agriculture in the Bundelkhand region through which the river flows is dependent on canal irrigation system. At Lachura in Jhansi, a dam was built in 1910 across the river Dhasan. The Hamirpur plains too are irrigated by the canals that are a result of this dam. Another dam has been built on this river in Jhansi district. The Pahari dam irrigates the land in districts of Hamirpur while the Pahari weir supplements the reservoir at Lachura. The Dhasan canal which is created after diverting the waters from this river provides irrigation water to the region of Bundelkhand. Plans are on to divert water by networking river Dhasan with other smaller rivers in this region to help the drought prone areas.

Course

The 365 km long Dhasan River is a tributary of River Betwa. Originating in the district of Raisen, it delineates the Plateau of Bundelkhand. The river travels all over the Bundelkhand region before merging with the Betwa. It crosses the districts of Raisen, Sagar and Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh and Lalitpur, Mahoba and Hamirpur in Uttar Pradesh. Before entering Uttar Pradesh, the river flows on the eastern boundary of Tikamgarh and forms a border with the neighbouring district of Chhatarpur. Within the district, the Dhasan flows towards the north east. It is a wide stream of water and contributes almost 75% of the water requirement of the district. The south flowing Dhasan River forms the south eastern boundary of the district of Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh and separates it from Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh. The south eastern part of the district of Lalitpur lies in the watershed region of the river. Dhasan forms a part of the Yamuna sub basin contributing a total basin area of approximately 8291 sq km out of the total area of 142250 sq km in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Many small rivers and streams join the Dhasan. Some of these are Rohini, Gunchi Nala, Keolari, Saprar and Lakheri. Dams have been built on some of the tributaries to divert water for irrigation purpose for example the Majhgawan dam on Gunchi Nala and the Keolari dam on Keolari River in Mahoba district of Uttar Pradesh. The Siaori Lake that has been carved out from Lakheri River in district Jhansi is used for irrigation. It also receives additional water from Kamlasagar dam and has an increased capacity for irrigation. The Lakheri dam on Lakheri River in district Jhansi provides irrigation to 1980 hectares of land through a 9.2 km long canal.

Tributaries

Rohini

The source of this river is located in the Mandwara block of Lalitpur district. It merges with the Dhasan River in the same block. The Rohini dam has been built on the river for the purpose of irrigation. Completed in 1984, the dam irrigates 3302 hectares of area in the district of Lalitpur and also provides drinking water for the population.

Keolari

This is a tributary of Dhasn that flows through Mahoba district of Uttar Pradesh. A dam has been built here to provide irrigation to 14390 hectares of land.

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