Dhauliganga River

The Dhauliganga is a river that is close to 82 km long and is born in the higher ranges of the Niti Pass that is seen in the state of Uttarakhand, in the district of Chamoli. The river is one of the many rivers that are born in the higher ranges of the Himalayas. The Himalayas, apart from acting as a natural barrier for our country, also proves to be the origin point of many strong rivers that are proving to be vital in the food cultivation and energy generation of the county. This is because of the multiple glaciers that are found in the Himalayas and there are many rivers that meet each and feed each other at many points. The Dhauliganga is also one such river which originates in the Himalayas and feeds the regions of the Dharma Valley.

The Ganga which in the most important river of India has six major sources and the Dhauliganga is one of them. Though these six rivers are much smaller than the Ganges, flow into the Ganges and act as the sources for the water in the Ganga.  However, these rivers including the Dhauliganga do not flow directly into the Ganges. They empty themselves into one of the tributaries of the Ganga and in the case of the Dhauliganga it flows for 82 km and then merges into Alakananda, which is one of the main tributaries of the Ganga. So, we see that the Dhauliganga actually serves the purpose of feeding the Alakananda. The place where this merges, Vishnuprayag, is a place that sees the river Dhauliganga in full force, as the river comes in all its speed to merge into the Alakananda and become even mightier.

Course

The Dhauliganga river after its start point at the Niti pass, which lies at 5070 m above sea level, traverses the entire distance of 51 miles before it ends at Vishnuprayag. The entire course of the river is marked by important points, and places that have their own specialities. One of the many such places that lie on the course of the river Dhauliganga is the place of Raini, which can be precisely pointed at the place where the river completes the 25 km mark. This is close to the quarter distance mark of the river’s entire flow and this is the point that river Rishi Ganga joins the Dhauliganga.

The Rishi Ganga is a river that has its genesis in the hills of the Nanda Devi and manages to find two creeks - one of them between the two ridges of Dharanshi and Malatuni closer to the village of Lata. The other one is a more difficult one amidst steep rocks. The river flows through the village and when it starts flowing in the southern direction it goes on to feed the Dhauliganga. Rishi Ganga also boasts of two important glaciers called Nanda Devi North and South. These two glaciers assume importance when we talk of the Rishi Ganga, because these two prove to be the home of many smaller streams which are also an important source of water in the Rishi Ganga.

Then these two rivers merge and start flowing with renewed power and flow through the remaining course as a much more powerful river. The river continues on its course towards Vishnu Prayag, where it empties itself into the Alakananda.

Tributaries

Since this is a tributary of River Kali, there are no major tributaries of Dhauliganga. However, the most important features that have to be mentioned while discussing the Dhauligangaare the dam on this river that can be seen at a place called Dharchula in the state of Uttarakhand. This is seen at the vicinity of the boundaries that India shares with the regions of Nepal and Tibet.

The other important feature is the hydroelectric power plant that is being constructed almost 5 kms closer to the point where river Kali meets up with the Dhauliganga. This is being counted upon as the major source of power for the cities of north India. The plan of this hydroelectric power station seems to be well thought out, right from optimum manufacture of power to ensuring that the sediments of rock do not interfere in the production of the power, this is on its way to become a major landmark of Uttarakhand.

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