Luni River

Luni River is located in the western side of Rajasthan state; has its origin in the Arravalli Ranges nearby the Pushkar valley. The river begins its course in the Ajmer region and then continues to flow in the peaty areas of Rann of Kutch in the state of Gujarat. The river covers 530 kilometers from Rajasthan to Gujarat state. This river has many names depending upon the place from where it changes its course.

Course

It is being called Sagarmati at the time of its origin but once this river passes through Givindgarh area, its name changes & Sarsuti tributary merges in it. Sarsuti tributary originates from Pushkar Lake. The name, Luni River originates from this place itself that makes it popular until its end in Gujarat.

The Basin of Luni River is of 37,363 km² with the inclusion of several parts of the Ajmer region from Barmer to Jalor and then moving towards Jodhpur, Nagaur and Pali before its entry into the Sirohi district. Upon reaching Gujarat especially in the northern side of the state, Luni River touches Mithavirana and crosses through the areas like Jordiyali, Mavsari Vav and Radhanpur regions in Banaskantha area.

Tributaries

Famous tributaries of Luni River are: Jowai, Sukri and Jojari which merge with this river during the course of its flowing from Rajasthan state to Gujarat state. Although this river has several tributaries in Rajasthan itself but the notable ones are in the adjacent state of Gujarat. The tributaries in left side include Sukri, Mithri, Bandi, Khari, Jawai, Guhiya and Sagi while Jojari tributary is one of the key tributary from right side of this river. Such factors are notable while you explore this river.

Once this river enters into Rann of Kutch desert traversing 530 kilometers it gets saline in nature due to the high salinity of this area. It is a primary source of irrigation in this particular area & also solves water deficiency of this area.

Present Scenario

There are several important developments has been devoted by this River in the Rajasthan state in terms of using the rivers to its best extent for irrigation and power generation purposes. The construction of Jaswant Sagar in the year of 1892 was being considered a big leap in the regard of this River for making its best use.

The ruler of that time of this region, Maharaja Jaswant Singh of Jodhpur took the initiative to construct a dam on this strategic location of the Pichiyak village located in the midst of Bilara and Bhavi in the Jodhpur District in Rajasthan to ensure that Luni River could be used for best purposes in the region.

Today, this location is being considered for the largest artificial lake in the whole nation. More than 12,000 acres of lands are being irrigated with the water of this River without facing any sort of problem. This River is also known as Lavanavari which means Salt River in Sanskrit.

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