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News: Villages along Haryana’s Ghaggar river, especially Sirsa and Fatehabad, report a rise in cancer cases allegedly linked to contaminated water.
About Ghaggar River
- Origin: It originates in the Shivalik Hills of Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.
- It is intermittent and flows only during the monsoon season.
- Course: After passing through the Ambala and Hissar districts of Haryana, it disappears into the Thar Desert in Rajasthan.
- It is known as Ghaggar before the Ottu barrage, and as Hakra downstream of the barrage in the Thar Desert.
- States through which it flows: It flows through Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
- Total basin area: Its total basin area is 32132 sq. km.
- It feeds two irrigation canals that extend into Rajasthan.
- The Hakra River in Pakistan is considered the downstream continuation of the Ghaggar, together forming the Ghaggar-Hakra River system.
- Tributaries: The main tributaries are the Kaushalya River, Markanda, Sarsuti, Tangri, and Chautang.
- Historical Context: It is known as Sarasvati in historical texts.
- Many Harappan sites have been excavated along the banks of the river.
- It is also linked to cultures from the protohistoric to the Medieval period.
