A ‘dead’ Ghaggar and its tributaries wrought havoc in Haryana early July; here is how

Source: The post is based on the article “A ‘dead’ Ghaggar and its tributaries wrought havoc in Haryana early July; here is how”  published in Down To Earth on 17th July 2023

What is the News?

Ghaggar River and its tributaries have caused widespread devastation in Haryana after reclaiming their floodplains.

Where is Ghaggar River?

Ghaggar-Hakra River is an intermittent river in India and Pakistan that flows only during the monsoon season. 

The river is known as Ghaggar before the Ottu barrage, and as Hakra downstream of the barrage in the Thar Desert.

Origin: It originates in the village of Dagshai in the Shivalik Hills of Himachal Pradesh and flows through Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

Tributaries: The main tributaries of the Ghaggar are the Kaushalya, Tangri, Markanda, Beghna and Sukhna and Chautang.

What happened now?

Ghaggar river and its tributaries are considered dead rivers in the state and are heavily encroached upon.

These rivers are facing threats from growing residential settlements, industrial units and sewage. The rivers have been so badly encroached that it would be difficult to locate them on the ground.

However, this monsoon heavy rains in the Shivalik hills caused flash floods in the catchment areas of the Ghaggar and its tributaries. 

Due to this, many cities in Haryana have been flooded causing heavy losses.