Karnali River Of Nepal

• Karnali is a perennial trans-boundary river originating on the Tibetan Plateau near Lake Mansarovar. It cuts through the Himalayas in Nepal and joins the Sarda River at Brahmaghat in India. Together they form the Ghaghra River, a major left bank tributary of the Ganges. With a length of 507 kilometres (315 mi) it is the largest river in Nepal. The total length of Ghaghara River up to its confluence with the Ganges at Doriganj in Bihar is 1,080 kilometres (670 mi). It is the largest tributary of the Ganges by volume and the second longest tributary of the Ganges by length after Yamuna.
• It rises in the southern slopes of the Himalayas in Tibet, in the glaciers of Mapchachungo, at an altitude of about 3962 metres (13,000 ft) above sea level. The river flows south through one of the most remote and least explored areas of Nepal as the Karnali River. The 202 km Seti River drains the western part of the catchment and joins the Karnali River in Doti District north of Dundras hill. Another tributary the 264 km long Bheri rises in the western part of Dhaulagiri Himalaya and drains the eastern part of the catchment, meeting the Karnali near Kuineghat in Surkhet.
• Cutting southward across the Siwalik Hills, it splits into two branches, the Geruwa on the left and Kauriala on the right near Chisapani to rejoin south of the Indian border and form the proper Ghaghara. Other tributaries originating in Nepal are the West Rapti, the Kali (or Mahakali) and the little Gandak. Another important tributary of Ghaghara in India is the Sarayu river, famous for the location of Ayodhya, the capital of Dasarath’s Kingdom. It flows southeast through Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states to join the Ganges downstream of the town of Chhapra, after a course of 1080 km. Sarayu river is stated to be synonymous with the modern Ghaghara river or as a tributary of it.
• Karnali River exposes the oldest part of the Sivalik Hills of Nepal. The remnant magnetization of siltstones and sandstones in this group suggests a depositional age of 16-5.2 million years.
• The Karnali River Basin lies between the mountain ranges of Dhaulagiri in Nepal and Nanda Devi in Uttarakhand. Dhaulagiri II (7,751m) is the highest point of the entire basin. In the north, it lies in the rain shadow of the Himalayas. The basin formed by the river has a total catchment area of 127,950 km2, of which 45% is in India. The population of the Basin districts in Nepal increased from 1.9 million in 1971 to 4.7 million people in 2001, almost a 250% increase over three decades. The average population density of the Basin area increased from 53 person/km2 in 1981 to 87 persons/km2 in 2001. There is a steady growth in the economically active population in the Basin districts. The average literacy rate has increased from a mere 7.5% in 1971 to 45% in 2001. The social status of the permanent households increased from 24% in 1991 to 31% in 2001. The Basin has a total road length of 2,640 km, but the pace of road development is slow.
• In Nepal, Karnali Zone is the largest zone with about 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2) area. It is Nepal's most remote region and not yet accessible by road. Its administrative center is Jumla. The zone is divided into the 5 districts of Dolpa, Humla, Jumla, Kalikot and Mugu.
• The Karnali zone has the lowest population density in Nepal. There are no large settlements on the banks of the river, which is only crossed near Chisapani by the Mahendra Highway. This major road is now under construction to Jumla.
• In India, the administrative districts in the Ghaghra catchment are Ambedkarnagar, Azamgarh, Barabanki, Basti, Ballia, Bahraich, Deoria, Faizabad, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Sant Kabir Nagar, Jaunpur, Kheri, Lakhimpur, Sitapur of Uttar Pradesh and Siwan district in Bihar.
• Important towns in India include Akabarpur, Ayodhya Faizabad, Bahraich, Barabanki, Basti, Deoria, Barhalganj, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Khaililabad, Sitapur, Siddharthnagar, Saint Kabir Nagar and Tanda in Uttar Pradesh and Chapra, Siwan, and Sonepur in Bihar.
• The Karnali Basin hosts some of Nepal's famous national parks. The protected area constitutes nearly 14% of the total Basin area, including four national parks, one wildlife reserve, one hunting reserve and two buffer zones. The Basin and its influence area constitute 27% of the total protected area, 63% of national park, 25% of the buffer zone and 31% of wildlife reserve. The significance of some of the protected areas is summarised below:
• Shey Phoksundo National Park in Dolpa District, established in 1984, is situated in the trans-Himalayan region of northwestern Nepal and represents the Tibetan Plateau ecosystem. The park covering an area of 3,555 km2 contains luxuriant forests mainly composed of blue pine, spruce, cypress, poplar, fir and birch. It is habitat for the endangered snow leopard, the blue sheep and many species of birds such as Himalayan Monal, Blood Pheasant, Cheer Pheasant and Snow Partridge. It is a religious Buddhist site.
• Rara National Park is located in Mugu District with a small area in Jumla District in the mountain region of northwestern Nepal and is the smallest park with a size of 106 km2. It includes Rara Lake, the biggest lake in Nepal of 10.8 km2 in size at an altitude of 2990 m. The lake is oval shaped and has a maximum length of 5 km and a width of 3 km. The vegetation of the park consists of coniferous trees such Blue Pine, Rhododendrons, Black Juniper, West Himalayan Spruce, Oak and Himalayan Cypress. The fauna includes Musk deer, Himalayan Black Bear, Leopard, Goral, Jackal, Himalayan Tahr, Yellow-throated Marten, Dhole, Wild Boar, Gray langur, Rhesus Macaque and Otter. Common bird species include migrant waterfowl, coot, Great-crested and Black-necked grebes, Red-crested Pochard, Mallard, Common Teal, Common Merganser, Himalayan Snowcock and Chukar Partridge.
• Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve
• Bardia National Park is the largest and most undisturbed protected area in the Terai region of the Nepal Himalayas, covering 968 square kilometres (374 sq mi) on the southern slopes of the Sivalik Hills. It is bordered in the south by the Babai River, and to the west by the Girwa River, a tributary of the Karnali. At Chisapani Gorge, the swift-flowing Karnali River emerges from the Shiwalik Range onto the broad plain and flows purposefully through the semi-tropical jungle. The park is famous for two herds of wild Asian elephants, a great number of deer species, Gaur, Nilgai, Himalayan Tahr, Serow and Goral. The Karnali supports the endangered Mugger crocodile, the fish-eating Gharial, a few remaining specimen of Gangetic Dolphin and the Golden Mahseer; latter weigh up to 90 lb (41 kg).