Watershed Data Report

This report was created with the free Global Watersheds web app on . Creative Commons License BY 4.0.

Contents

  1. Political Boundaries
  2. Population
  3. Land Cover
  4. Hydrology
  5. GRACE Terrestrial Water Storage
  6. Irrigation
  7. Dams
  8. Longest River
  9. Topography
  10. Endangered Species
  11. References

This report is for the watershed with an outlet near 20°30'00"N, 85°49'01"E, or (20.500, 85.817), with a drainage area of around 133,000 km².

Political Boundaries

The watershed is entirely within India, and in five states, as shown in Table 2.

Table 2. States in the watershed.

State Area (km²) Percent of watershed
Odisha 56,900 43%
Maharashtra 351 0%
Chhattisgarh 75,600 57%
Jharkhand 246 0%
Madhya Pradesh 278 0%

Data on political boundaries comes from Natural Earth, https://www.naturalearthdata.com.

Population

The watershed has an estimated population of 36,600,000 in the year 2020. Figure 1 shows how population has changed from 1990 to 2020. The population grew at an average rate of 1.6% per year over this time period.

Figure 1. Estimated watershed population from 1990 to 2020.

Population data comes from GlobPop, Global Gridded Population Estimates, created by researchers at Beijing Normal University (Liu 2024).

Human population growth can affect water quality via increased pollution from households, industry, and agriculture. Further, land use and land cover change associated with population growth can have a major impact on watersheds (see the next section of this report).

Land Cover

The most common land cover type in the watershed is cropland, covering 46,100 km² in 2020. More detailed information about land cover and how it has changed is shown in Table 3 and Figure 2 below. Pairs of bars represent the area for each land cover type in the years 2000 and 2020.

Figure 2. Land cover in the watershed.

Table 3. Land cover in the watershed.

Land Cover Type Area in 2000, km² Area in 2020, km²   Change
Cropland 39,800 46,100 15%
Tree cover 42,000 42,300 0%
Dense short vegetation 45,700 37,400 -18%
Built-up 1,590 3,540 122%
Open surface water 2,170 3,290 51%
Semi-arid 935 822 -12%
Wetland + dense short vegetation 1,030 213 -79%

Land cover data comes from the GLAD: Global Land Cover and Land Use Change, 2000-2020 (Popatov et al. 2022). This dataset, created by researchers at the University of Maryland, is available online here. Classification is based on satellite imagery from Landsat and machine learning tools.

Land cover change can profoundly influence watershed hydrology and water quality. Urbanization and development can increase the impervious cover, causing more water to run off rather than infiltrate into the ground. This can decrease groundwater recharge and river baseflows, or the flows that occur during dry times. Deforestation and agricultural development are often accompanied by an increase in soil erosion and sediment loads. Other land use types are associated with water pollution. For example, agriculture can increase loads of pesticides and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) from fertilizers. Urbanization and industrialization can cause contamination from a wide range of chemicals used in households and industry.

Hydrology

The average annual precipitation over the watershed is 1,358 mm/year. (Precipitation includes all forms of water, including snow and rain.) Some of this water leaves the watershed surface via evaporation and transpiration, or the loss of water from plants. Annual evapotranspiration is estimated at 617 mm/year. The basin climatology, or the monthly average precipitation and evapotranspiration, is shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4. Watershed climatology: monthly average precipitation and evapotranspiration over the watershed.

Precipitation data comes from WorldClim, a global gridded dataset by researchers at the University of East Anglia (Harris et al. 2020). This dataset is based on downscaling and bias-correcting the CRU-TS dataset (Fick and Hijmans 2017), which is based on a large collection of station observations that span 1901–2018.

Evapotranspiration is even more difficult to estimate than precipitation. Here, we use a dataset, GLEAM v3.6B, which combines modeling and remote sensing data (Martens et al. 2017; Miralles et al. 2011).

It is difficult to estimate water cycle variables over large areas. So you should keep in mind that these estimates are uncertain (not perfect).

Terrestrial Water Storage Anomaly

The GRACE satellites provide information about changes in the amount of water over different locations on the Earth. Figure 3 shows the average terrestrial water storage anomaly over the watershed.

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🖱️Mouse wheel to zoom ✋Click & drag to pan 📱Pinch to zoom on mobile

Figure 3. GRACE terrestrial water storage anomaly from 2002 to 2025.

The GRACE satellites make highly accurate measurements of the Earth's gravitational field, and provide measurements of changes in the mass of water on a monthly time scale. These measurements do not tell us how much water there is in a region, but rather, how it the amount of water has changed compared to a baseline. The measurement includes all forms of water, including water in rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, soil moisture, groundwater, glaciers, snow, and ice. For an introduction to GRACE, see the section of my PhD thesis on Remote Sensing of the Water Cycle.

The total amount of water in the watershed appears to be trending upwards at a rate of 0.9 cm per decade (P = 0.54). This P-value indicates that the observed trend is not statistically significant. In other words, there is insufficient evidence to conclude that there is a meaningful trend in the data.

GRACE Terrestrial Water Storage Anomaly data is from the Center for Space Research at the University of Texas, Austin (Save et al. 2016, 2022).

Irrigation

The watershed had about 13779.6 km² of land equipped for irrigation in 2005. This is about 10.3% of the watershed. Figure 5 shows the development of irrigated area from 1900 to 2005. These estimates are based on a global dataset published by an international team of researchers (Siebert et al. 2015).

Figure 5. Area equipped for irrigation in the watershed from 1900 to 2005

Irrigation brings many benefits for growing crops. In arid regions, it enables production where it would be otherwise impossible. In humid regions, irrigation can increase crop quality and yield, and provide more certainty against unpredictable climate. Yet, the expansion of irrigation can have impacts on watersheds that need to be carefully managed.

Increased irrigation usually requires more water to be withdrawn from rivers, lakes, or groundwater sources, which can reduce streamflow and alter natural flow patterns. This reduced flow can harm aquatic ecosystems and diminish the water available downstream for other uses. Irrigation often introduces fertilizers and pesticides into the watershed, and may increase soil erosion and sediment transport. When nutrients run off into rivers and streams, they can lead to nutrient pollution, algal blooms, and eutrophication. This plus chemical pesticides and herbicides negatively impacts aquatic life and water quality for human uses.

Dams

This watershed contains 403 dams identified in the Global Dam Watch database, with a total storage capacity of 18,000 million m³.

Information on these dams is listed in Table 4. The number and size of dams in a watershed is one measure of hydromodification, or how much the natural hydrologic cycle is influenced by human activities.

Table 4. Dams in the watershed. Unknown or missing data shown with a dash.

Dam Name Reservoir Name River Main Use Year Dam Height (m) Capacity (10⁶ m³) Latitude Longitude URL
– – – – – 22.456 82.055 –
– – – – – 22.301 82.083 –
– – – – – 22.288 82.087 –
– – – – – 22.258 82.094 –
– – – – – 22.059 82.331 –
– – – – – 22.025 82.331 –
– – – – – 21.954 82.325 –
– – – – – 21.939 82.317 –
– – – – – 21.917 82.306 –
– – – – – 21.951 83.391 –
– – – – – 21.916 82.929 –
– – – – – 21.913 83.406 –
– – – – – 21.888 83.400 –
– – – – – 21.880 82.314 –
– – – – – 21.861 82.339 –
– – – – – 21.864 82.927 –
– – – – – 21.844 82.926 –
– – – – – 21.844 82.351 –
– – – – – 21.824 82.359 –
– – – – – 21.796 82.372 –
– – – – – 21.795 82.920 –
– – – – – 21.772 82.379 –
– – – – – 21.780 82.808 –
– – – – – 21.803 82.783 –
– – – – – 21.755 82.900 –
– – – – – 21.771 82.948 –
– – – – – 21.714 82.296 –
– – – – – 21.569 83.161 –
– – – – – 21.495 81.631 –
– – – – – 21.478 81.630 –
– – – – – 21.508 83.136 –
– – – – – 21.482 81.663 –
– – – – – 21.442 82.623 –
– – – – – 21.275 82.636 –
– – – – – 21.213 82.643 –
– – – – – 20.774 83.340 –
– – – – – 20.378 82.658 –
– – – – – 20.388 82.657 –
– – – – – 19.719 82.900 –
– – – – – 20.022 83.240 –
– – – – – 22.393 82.027 –
– – – – – 22.397 82.032 –
– – – – – 23.292 82.309 –
– – – – – 22.748 83.510 –
– – – – – 22.560 81.935 –
– – – – – 22.533 82.018 –
– – – – – 22.518 82.047 –
– – – – – 22.533 83.359 –
– – – – – 20.956 80.864 –
– – – – – 20.899 80.823 –
– – – – – 21.965 82.933 –
– – – – – 20.453 85.736 –
– – – – – 21.859 82.095 –
– – – – – 21.867 82.029 –
– – – – – 21.837 82.117 –
– – – – – 21.847 82.159 –
– – – – – 21.820 81.944 –
– – – – – 21.826 82.187 –
– – – – – 21.806 81.927 –
– – – – – 21.780 82.188 –
– – – – – 21.771 81.808 –
– – – – – 21.761 81.708 –
– – – – – 21.758 82.219 –
– – – – – 21.750 81.747 –
– – – – – 21.754 82.254 –
– – – – – 21.725 82.786 –
– – – – – 21.725 82.305 –
– – – – – 21.748 82.294 –
– – – – – 21.714 82.346 –
– – – – – 21.716 82.601 –
– – – – – 21.689 83.270 –
– – – – – 21.663 81.672 –
– – – – – 21.628 81.691 –
– – – – – 21.625 82.384 –
– – – – – 21.574 81.678 –
– – – – – 21.494 82.267 –
– – – – – 21.292 82.123 –
– – – – – 21.873 82.066 –
– – – – – 21.539 81.380 –
– – – – – 21.797 82.731 –
– – – – – 21.621 81.546 –
– – – – – 21.609 81.436 –
– – – – – 21.614 81.605 –
– – – – – 21.580 81.653 –
– – – – – 21.476 81.361 –
– – – – – 21.429 81.379 –
– – – – – 21.367 81.322 –
– – – – – 21.116 81.245 –
– – – – – 20.970 81.872 –
– – – – – 22.124 82.636 –
– – – – – 22.031 82.639 –
– – – – – 20.736 81.951 –
– – – – – 20.709 81.688 –
– – – – – 22.030 83.157 –
– – – – – 21.973 82.217 –
– – – – – 21.988 82.224 –
– – – – – 21.956 82.226 –
– – – – – 21.903 82.207 –
– – – – – 21.860 82.201 –
– – – – – 21.883 82.199 –
– – – – – 21.842 82.198 –
– – – – – 21.566 82.563 –
– – – – – 21.505 82.608 –
– – – – – 21.460 81.678 –
– – – – – 21.395 81.629 –
– – – – – 21.410 81.637 –
– – – – – 21.300 81.535 –
– – – – – 21.250 81.542 –
– – – – – 21.058 81.245 –
– – – – – 21.045 81.240 –
– – – – – 21.054 81.605 –
– – – – – 21.012 80.912 –
– – – – – 21.001 81.255 –
– – – – – 20.982 80.846 –
– – – – – 20.975 80.824 –
– – – – – 20.979 80.891 –
– – – – – 20.980 80.866 –
– – – – – 20.866 80.820 –
– – – – – 20.834 80.792 –
– – – – – 20.779 80.767 –
– – – – – 20.808 80.776 –
– – – – – 20.770 80.750 –
– – – – – 20.756 80.705 –
– – – – – 20.499 81.384 –
– – – – – 20.474 81.419 –
– – – – – 20.455 81.443 –
– – – – – 20.302 81.543 –
– – – – – 22.372 82.026 –
Hirakud Hirakud Mahanadi Irrigation Built 1957 59.0 8100.0 21.520 83.855 –
Bango Bango Reservoir Hasdeo Hydroelectricity Built 1990 87.0 3416.0 22.605 82.599 –
Ravishankar Sagar Ravishankar Sagar Mahanadi Irrigation Built 1979 31.0 909.0 20.614 81.565 –
Tandula – Tandula Irrigation Built 1923 25.0 312.3 20.702 81.198 –
Dudhawa – Mahanadi Irrigation Built 1963 24.0 287.8 20.305 81.758 –
Gondli Tank – – – – 223.3 20.743 81.130 –
Sikasar – Local Nalla Irrigation Built 1977 32.0 216.5 20.518 82.319 –
– – – – – 210.8 20.702 81.214 –
Sondur – Local Nalla Irrigation Built 1988 38.0 198.0 20.226 82.098 –
Kharung – – Irrigation Built before 1985 21.0 195.2 22.290 82.219 –
Kharkhara Tank – Kharikhara – Built 1967 169.9 20.831 80.988 –
Murumsilli Murumsilli Silliyari Irrigation Built 1923 26.0 165.0 20.539 81.665 –
Kodar – Kodar Nalla Irrigation Built 1981 23.0 160.3 21.198 82.182 –
Maniyari – Maniyari Irrigation Built 1930 29.0 151.2 22.392 81.591 –
– – – – Built 2007 141.2 20.756 80.664 –
– – – – – 114.2 20.596 82.590 –
Mahanadi – Mahanadi Irrigation Built 1978 30.0 91.0 21.144 82.002 –
– – – – – 87.4 21.167 81.374 –
– – – – – 85.0 22.307 81.977 –
Upper Jonk – Jonk Irrigation Built 1993 25.0 81.0 20.735 82.444 –
– – – – Built before 1985 80.5 20.884 80.938 –
Hariharjore – Hariharjore Irrigation Built 1995 19.0 79.0 21.040 84.015 –
– – – – – 68.7 23.262 82.530 –
– – – – – 67.2 20.340 84.797 –
– – – – – 61.6 20.531 81.030 –
Chhirpani – Phon Irrigation Built 1994 32.0 51.3 22.202 81.198 –
– – – – – 51.0 20.806 82.664 –
– – – – – 46.2 20.409 83.159 –
– – – – – 45.2 20.793 82.024 –
– – – – – 43.9 21.293 80.960 –
– – – – – 41.5 22.345 84.120 –
– – – – – 40.7 21.686 80.996 –
– – – – Built before 1985 39.2 21.534 82.485 –
– – – – Built 2003 38.3 22.383 82.124 –
– – – – – 37.4 20.852 82.684 –
Saroda – Uttari Stream Irrigation Built 1964 32.0 37.1 21.981 81.139 –
– – – – – 36.8 22.427 83.569 –
– – – – – 36.5 21.052 82.769 –
– – – – – 35.9 21.455 83.298 –
Maroda-1 – – – – 33.9 21.180 81.366 –
– – – – – 33.1 20.423 84.340 –
– – – – – 32.5 22.408 82.696 –
– – – – Built 1996 31.3 21.957 84.268 –
– – – – – 30.6 21.542 80.929 –
– – – – Built before 1985 26.8 20.655 81.563 –
– – – – – 25.1 21.563 82.973 –
– – – – – 23.9 21.461 83.968 –
– – – – – 23.8 20.453 85.604 –
– – – – Built 2002 23.4 21.217 80.952 –
– – – – Built 1990 22.9 21.731 81.223 –
– – – – Built 1999 21.8 23.319 82.565 –
Budhabudiani – Budhabudiani Irrigation Built 1967 24.0 21.8 19.964 85.019 –
– – – – Built 2001 20.5 22.653 83.555 –
– – – – – 18.9 20.900 81.171 –
– – – – Built before 1985 18.3 21.264 81.796 –
– – – – – 18.1 22.186 83.765 –
– – – – Built 1991 16.1 20.723 82.879 –
– – – – – 16.0 20.415 81.280 –
– – – – Built before 1985 15.9 20.998 82.112 –
– – – – – 15.8 21.554 81.884 –
– – – – – 15.7 20.957 80.734 –
– – – – – 15.5 21.147 82.550 –
– – – – – 15.5 22.287 81.780 –
– – – – – 15.2 20.315 83.218 –
– – – – Built 1998 14.9 20.590 85.293 –
– – – – – 14.2 20.969 82.375 –
– – – – Built 1996 14.2 23.260 82.354 –
– – – – Built before 1985 13.6 21.648 82.102 –
– – – – – 13.6 20.788 82.178 –
– – – – – 13.6 20.562 84.966 –
– – – – – 13.2 21.207 82.923 –
– – – – – 13.0 20.452 82.698 –
Khapri – Local Nalla – Built 1909 11.0 13.0 21.015 81.369 –
– – – – – 12.9 21.178 82.813 –
– – – – – 12.5 21.154 80.655 –
– – – – – 12.4 21.368 82.001 –
– – – – Built 1996 12.1 21.473 83.423 –
– – – – – 12.1 19.957 82.610 –
– – – – – 11.9 21.048 82.273 –
– – – – Built 1999 11.8 20.573 82.851 –
Kumhari Kumhari Reservoir Banjari Nalla Irrigation Built 1927 12.0 11.6 21.493 81.909 –
– – – – Built before 1985 11.6 21.042 81.792 –
– – – – – 11.5 21.403 81.861 –
– – – – – 11.4 21.280 82.186 –
– – – – Built before 1985 11.4 21.956 82.344 –
– – – – Built before 1985 11.3 21.022 81.489 –
– – – – Built 1989 10.9 19.426 82.792 –
– – – – – 10.9 21.040 80.615 –
– – – – – 10.8 21.175 82.509 –
– – – – Built 1997 10.5 21.935 81.877 –
– – – – Built 1994 10.4 21.361 81.226 –
– – – – – 10.1 21.039 82.989 –
– – – – – 10.0 21.206 81.818 –
– – – – – 10.0 21.508 83.364 –
– – – – – 10.0 21.210 80.665 –
– – – – – 9.9 19.847 83.004 –
– – – – – 9.9 21.121 82.366 –
– – – – – 9.9 21.335 81.022 –
– – – – – 9.8 21.849 83.128 –
– – – – Built before 1985 9.8 21.393 81.870 –
– – – – – 9.4 21.564 82.323 –
– – – – – 9.4 21.468 81.785 –
– – – – Built before 1985 9.1 20.259 85.158 –
– – – – Built 1991 9.0 23.066 82.372 –
– – – – – 8.7 20.918 80.802 –
– – – – – 8.6 21.102 81.777 –
– – – – Built before 1985 8.5 21.765 81.484 –
– – – – – 8.5 21.290 82.349 –
– – – – – 8.5 21.448 80.830 –
– – – – – 8.4 21.964 83.168 –
– – – – – 8.4 20.935 80.622 –
– – – – – 8.3 22.270 81.943 –
– – – – Built 1994 8.1 21.246 82.763 –
– – – – – 8.0 20.956 83.515 –
– – – – – 7.9 22.113 82.450 –
– – – – – 7.8 21.455 81.268 –
– – – – – 7.8 21.027 81.788 –
– – – – – 7.6 21.919 82.128 –
– – – – Built before 1985 7.4 21.265 81.080 –
– – – – – 7.4 21.613 82.615 –
– – – – – 7.4 21.338 82.434 –
– – – – Built before 1985 7.3 20.406 81.389 –
– – – – Built 1998 7.2 21.133 82.413 –
– – – – – 7.2 19.830 82.840 –
– – – – – 7.1 20.623 82.960 –
– – – – – 7.1 21.134 82.247 –
– – – – Built 1990 7.1 20.956 82.282 –
– – – – – 7.0 22.164 82.481 –
– – – – Built 1991 6.9 21.010 81.014 –
– – – – – 6.9 20.800 80.717 –
– – – – – 6.8 21.924 82.423 –
– – – – – 6.7 23.498 82.485 –
– – – – Built before 1985 6.7 21.230 81.085 –
– – – – – 6.7 21.199 81.649 –
– – – – – 6.6 21.941 83.321 –
– – – – – 6.6 22.881 82.858 –
– – – – – 6.5 22.273 81.403 –
– – – – Built before 1985 6.3 21.180 82.535 –
– – – – – 6.2 22.331 82.435 –
– – – – – 6.2 20.709 80.768 –
– – – – – 6.2 22.039 81.256 –
– – – – – 6.1 21.676 82.140 –
– – – – Built 1997 6.0 20.317 82.913 –
– – – – Built before 1985 6.0 21.881 81.235 –
– – – – – 6.0 20.796 80.649 –
– – – – – 5.9 21.219 83.177 –
– – – – – 5.8 22.241 81.447 –
– – – – – 5.8 22.253 81.530 –
– – – – – 5.7 20.080 83.360 –
– – – – – 5.6 20.775 82.400 –
– – – – Built before 1985 5.6 21.400 82.902 –
– – – – – 5.4 21.407 80.876 –
– – – – Built before 1985 5.4 21.908 81.117 –
– – – – – 5.3 20.562 81.111 –
– – – – – 5.3 21.530 81.296 –
– – – – – 5.2 21.221 81.200 –
– – – – Built before 1985 5.2 21.273 82.756 –
– – – – – 5.2 21.986 82.200 –
– – – – – 5.2 21.510 81.407 –
– – – – – 5.0 21.263 81.030 –
– – – – Built 2008 5.0 21.507 80.865 –
– – – – – 5.0 21.546 83.090 –
– – – – Built before 1985 5.0 21.590 81.163 –
– – – – – 5.0 20.926 82.831 –
– – – – – 5.0 21.279 80.828 –
– – – – Built before 1985 4.9 21.178 81.045 –
– – – – Built before 1985 4.9 21.012 80.836 –
– – – – – 4.9 20.428 81.879 –
– – – – – 4.9 20.410 81.227 –
– – – – – 4.8 21.331 81.990 –
– – – – – 4.8 21.134 81.826 –
– – – – Built 1992 4.7 22.231 83.951 –
– – – – Built 1989 4.7 21.147 81.776 –
– – – – – 4.7 22.398 83.170 –
– – – – – 4.6 20.298 85.097 –
– – – – – 4.5 20.047 85.073 –
– – – – Built before 1985 4.5 21.035 80.831 –
– – – – – 4.4 20.216 85.101 –
– – – – – 4.4 21.129 82.443 –
– – – – Built 1993 4.3 20.248 83.294 –
– – – – – 4.3 20.344 81.456 –
– – – – – 4.2 22.303 81.739 –
– – – – – 4.2 22.274 82.518 –
– – – – – 4.2 21.194 83.463 –
– – – – – 4.1 21.216 81.066 –
– – – – – 4.1 20.781 82.226 –
– – – – – 4.0 21.148 80.988 –
– – – – – 4.0 20.896 80.563 –
– – – – – 4.0 21.110 81.827 –
– – – – Built before 1985 3.8 22.389 82.244 –
– – – – – 3.8 21.117 80.651 –
– – – – – 3.7 19.646 82.590 –
– – – – – 3.7 21.940 82.398 –
– – – – – 3.6 19.880 83.232 –
– – – – Built before 1985 3.6 21.706 81.801 –
– – – – – 3.5 21.870 83.095 –
– – – – – 3.5 20.860 80.850 –
– – – – – 3.5 22.347 81.676 –
– – – – – 3.5 22.737 83.289 –
– – – – – 3.4 21.207 82.417 –
– – – – – 3.4 21.062 80.772 –
– – – – – 3.4 21.298 83.191 –
– – – – – 3.3 21.215 80.693 –
– – – – – 3.3 20.269 82.685 –
– – – – – 3.3 21.900 82.379 –
– – – – – 3.3 20.440 81.361 –
– – – – – 3.3 21.067 81.785 –
– – – – – 3.2 21.102 80.877 –
– – – – – 3.2 21.012 81.459 –
– – – – – 3.2 21.851 83.180 –
– – – – – 3.2 22.152 82.766 –
– – – – Built before 1985 3.2 21.086 80.964 –
– – – – Built before 1985 3.2 22.323 81.727 –
– – – – – 3.1 19.766 82.759 –
– – – – Built 1999 3.1 21.012 80.814 –
– – – – – 3.1 22.387 82.467 –
– – – – – 3.1 20.368 84.210 –
– – – – – 3.0 22.310 81.493 –
– – – – – 3.0 22.716 82.449 –
– – – – – 3.0 21.270 80.873 –
– – – – – 3.0 21.630 80.950 –
– – – – Built 1995 3.0 21.981 83.227 –
– – – – – 3.0 22.040 81.288 –
– – – – – 3.0 20.971 80.615 –
– – – – – 2.9 21.857 81.089 –
– – – – – 2.9 22.406 82.309 –
– – – – Built before 1985 2.9 21.316 83.363 –
– – – – – 2.8 23.274 82.606 –
– – – – – 2.8 22.152 81.290 –
– – – – – 2.8 20.964 80.597 –
– – – – – 2.8 22.203 82.535 –
– – – – – 2.8 22.278 81.819 –
– – – – – 2.8 21.045 80.827 –
– – – – Built before 1985 2.7 20.693 80.869 –
– – – – – 2.6 22.303 81.757 –
– – – – – 2.6 21.164 82.431 –
– – – – – 2.6 21.381 81.047 –
– – – – – 2.6 21.367 82.846 –
– – – – – 2.6 21.199 80.929 –
– – – – – 2.6 21.227 81.628 –
– – – – – 2.5 22.187 82.921 –
– – – – – 2.4 20.239 82.647 –
– – – – – 2.4 21.907 82.475 –
– – – – – 2.3 20.627 81.282 –
– – – – – 2.3 21.027 81.057 –
– – – – – 2.3 21.270 83.758 –
– – – – – 2.3 20.119 85.204 –
– – – – – 2.2 21.963 81.247 –
– – – – – 2.2 20.132 82.805 –
– – – – – 2.2 22.265 82.840 –
– – – – – 2.1 23.052 82.484 –
– – – – – 2.1 20.175 82.778 –
– – – – – 2.1 20.549 81.081 –
– – – – Built before 1985 2.1 22.818 82.188 –
– – – – – 2.1 21.547 83.441 –
– – – – Built 1992 2.1 22.716 83.284 –
– – – – – 2.0 23.343 82.626 –
– – – – Built 1991 2.0 21.827 81.341 –
– – – – Built before 1989 2.0 21.360 80.881 –
– – – – – 2.0 20.228 82.743 –
– – – – – 1.9 22.203 82.863 –
– – – – Built 1996 1.8 21.952 81.955 –
– – – – – 1.8 21.261 80.905 –
– – – – – 1.8 22.185 84.390 –
– – – – – 1.7 19.864 83.176 –
– – – – Built 2004 1.6 22.269 81.868 –
– – – – – 1.6 20.243 83.259 –
– – – – – 1.6 20.562 81.072 –
– – – – – 1.5 21.392 80.918 –
– – – – – 1.5 21.100 80.978 –
Maroda Tank – Local Nalla – Built 1991 12.0 1.4 20.600 82.045 –
– – – – – 0.9 20.832 82.669 –
– – – – – 0.8 21.008 83.599 –
– – – – – 0.7 23.061 82.533 –
– – – – – 0.2 20.853 82.224 –

Dams serve many useful purposes including electric generation, water supply, irrigation, flood control, and recreation. However, if not carefully planned and managed, dams can have a heavy environmental impact. Today, many governments are removing dams to bring rivers back to life.

For a detailed look at the impact of dams on people and the environment, I encourage you to read the book Silenced Rivers by Patrick McCully. To help conserve free-flowing rivers, consider supporting the nonprofit International Rivers.

Data on dams comes from the Global Dam Watch database, published in July 2024. For more details, see the journal article by lead researchers at McGill University (Lehner et al. 2024).

Longest River

The longest river is the watershed is 985 km long. It is shown highlighted in the map in Figure 5 below.

This is the longest continuous flowline in the source dataset, MERIT-Basins. It is not necessarily the mainstem of the river, or the one with the same name. When it comes to naming rivers, historical, legal, and cultural influences are also important.

Figure 5. The longest river that flows to the watershed outlet (highlighted).

Figure 6 shows the elevation profile of the longest river reach. Elevations on the plot are in meters above mean sea level. The river begins at 389 m, and the outlet is at 13 m.

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🖱️Mouse wheel to zoom ✋Click & drag to pan 📱Pinch to zoom on mobile

Figure 6. Elevation profile of the longest river reach.

Elevation data for the profile plot is from MERIT-DEM (Yamazaki et al. 2017). Actual distances on the plot may be underestimated somewhat. This is because river paths are based on a grid or raster data, which simplifies the meandering path of real-world rivers.

Topography

Terrain elevations in the watershed range from 24 m to 1,100 m above sea level. The average, or mean, elevation is 350 m. Figure 7 shows a distribution of terrain elevations in the watershed.

Figure 7. Distribution of terrain elevations in the watershed.
Scale for x-axis: Linear   Log

Elevation data is provided by EarthEnv (Amatulli et al. 2021), and is based on the Global Multi-resolution Terrain Elevation Data 2010 dataset (GMTED2010). Statistics are based on gridded elevation data with pixels that are about 5 km on a side. Because of the size of the pixels, some smoothing takes place, and so the statistics reported above may not capture the true minimum and maximum elevation.

Endangered Species

The watershed is home to 60 threatened freshwater species. Table 5 shows the species that are endangered, vulnerable, or near-threatened, based on assessments by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, or IUCN. Data comes from the IUCN Red List.

For a photo of the species, hover the mouse over Scientific Name in the table, or tap on mobile. Click the link under Status to view the IUCN assessment. Here you can find out more about the reasons the species decline, view maps of the species distribution, and read about any conservation measures being taken.

Table 5. Threatened species in the watershed.

Type Scientific Name Common Name Status Presence
birds Aythya baeri Baer’s Pochard Critically Endangered ⧉ Extant
reptiles Gavialis gangeticus Gharial Critically Endangered ⧉ Extant
reptiles Pelochelys cantorii Asian Giant Softshell Turtle Critically Endangered ⧉ Extant
reptiles Batagur baska Northern River Terrapin Critically Endangered ⧉ Extant
reptiles Nilssonia leithii Leith’s Softshell Turtle Critically Endangered ⧉ Extant
birds Haliaeetus leucoryphus Pallas’s Fish-eagle Endangered ⧉ Extant
fish Amblyceps arunchalensis Unknown Endangered ⧉ Extant
birds Neophron percnopterus Egyptian Vulture Endangered ⧉ Extant
fish Silonia childreni Unknown Endangered ⧉ Probably Extant
mammals Bubalus arnee Wild Water Buffalo Endangered ⧉ Extant
mammals Platanista gangetica Ganges River Dolphin Endangered ⧉ Extant
birds Sterna acuticauda Black-bellied Tern Endangered ⧉ Extant
fish Urogymnus polylepis Giant Freshwater Whipray Endangered ⧉ Extant
fish Tor putitora Unknown Endangered ⧉ Extant
reptiles Nilssonia gangetica Indian Softshell Turtle Endangered ⧉ Extant
reptiles Nilssonia hurum Indian Peacock Softshell Turtle Endangered ⧉ Extant
birds Calidris tenuirostris Great Knot Endangered ⧉ Extant
birds Rynchops albicollis Indian Skimmer Endangered ⧉ Extant
mammals Prionailurus viverrinus Fishing Cat Vulnerable ⧉ Possibly Extant
reptiles Lissemys punctata Indian Flapshell Turtle Vulnerable ⧉ Extant
birds Sterna aurantia River Tern Vulnerable ⧉ Extant
birds Aythya ferina Common Pochard Vulnerable ⧉ Extant
birds Grus antigone Sarus Crane Vulnerable ⧉ Extant
fish Wallago attu Unknown Vulnerable ⧉ Extant
birds Pluvialis squatarola Grey Plover Vulnerable ⧉ Extant
birds Clanga clanga Greater Spotted Eagle Vulnerable ⧉ Extant
reptiles Crocodylus palustris Mugger Vulnerable ⧉ Extant
plants Polypleurum filifolium Unknown Vulnerable ⧉ Probably Extant
fish Bagarius bagarius Unknown Vulnerable ⧉ Extant
birds Calidris falcinellus Broad-billed Sandpiper Vulnerable ⧉ Extant
mammals Lutrogale perspicillata Smooth-coated Otter Vulnerable ⧉ Extant
mammals Aonyx cinereus Asian Small-clawed Otter Vulnerable ⧉ Extant
birds Aquila rapax Tawny Eagle Vulnerable ⧉ Extant
birds Calidris ferruginea Curlew Sandpiper Vulnerable ⧉ Extant
reptiles Pangshura tecta Indian Roofed Turtle Vulnerable ⧉ Extant
fish Schizothorax plagiostomus Snow Trout Vulnerable ⧉ Extant
birds Leptoptilos dubius Greater Adjutant Near Threatened ⧉ Possibly Extinct
fish Anguilla bicolor Shortfin Eel Near Threatened ⧉ Extant
birds Aythya nyroca Ferruginous Duck Near Threatened ⧉ Extant
fish Ompok pabo Unknown Near Threatened ⧉ Probably Extant
birds Numenius arquata Eurasian Curlew Near Threatened ⧉ Extant
birds Vanellus duvaucelii River Lapwing Near Threatened ⧉ Extant
birds Limosa lapponica Bar-tailed Godwit Near Threatened ⧉ Extant
birds Calidris alpina Dunlin Near Threatened ⧉ Extant
birds Esacus recurvirostris Great Thick-knee Near Threatened ⧉ Extant
reptiles Python molurus Indian Rock Python Near Threatened ⧉ Extant
birds Calidris canutus Red Knot Near Threatened ⧉ Extant
reptiles Varanus bengalensis Bengal Monitor Lizard Near Threatened ⧉ Extant
birds Pelecanus philippensis Spot-billed Pelican Near Threatened ⧉ Extant
fish Anguilla bengalensis Indian Mottled Eel Near Threatened ⧉ Extant
birds Circus macrourus Pallid Harrier Near Threatened ⧉ Extant
birds Ciconia episcopus Asian Woollyneck Near Threatened ⧉ Extant
birds Leptoptilos javanicus Lesser Adjutant Near Threatened ⧉ Extant
birds Icthyophaga ichthyaetus Grey-headed Fish-eagle Near Threatened ⧉ Extant
fish Parambassis lala Highfin Glassy Perchlet Near Threatened ⧉ Probably Extant
fish Ompok bimaculatus Unknown Near Threatened ⧉ Probably Extant
birds Limosa limosa Black-tailed Godwit Near Threatened ⧉ Extant
birds Calidris ruficollis Red-necked Stint Near Threatened ⧉ Extant
birds Arenaria interpres Ruddy Turnstone Near Threatened ⧉ Extant
birds Haematopus ostralegus Eurasian Oystercatcher Near Threatened ⧉ Extant

The presence of endangered species in a watershed provides important information about ecosystem health and biodiversity. Many factors can threaten endangered species within watersheds:

Water management plays an important role in protecting endangered species. This includes maintaining adequate streamflows, protecting riparian zones and wetlands, controlling pollution sources, and preserving habitat connectivity throughout the watershed.

What Can I Do?

If you're concerned about endangered species in your watershed, there are many ways you can help. Support organizations working on species conservation and habitat protection, or local watershed councils and land trusts in your area. Many watersheds have dedicated conservation groups focused on protecting local rivers, wetlands, and wildlife. Search for [your watershed name] + "conservation," "river keeper," or "watershed association."

You can also take direct action in your community. Participate in river cleanups, plant native vegetation along stream banks, reduce pesticide and fertilizer use, and support land use policies that protect riparian corridors and wetlands.

If you own property near streams or wetlands, consider conservation easements through organizations like the Land Trust Alliance.

Report wildlife sightings to citizen science platforms like iNaturalist or eBird. Your observations can contribute to scientific understanding and conservation planning. Finally, use your voice: contact local officials to support clean water regulations, habitat protection, and sustainable development practices that consider watershed health and wildlife needs.

References

Amatulli, G., Domisch, S., Tuanmu, M.-N., Parmentier, B., Ranipeta, A., Malczyk, J., & Jetz, W. (2018). A suite of global, cross-scale topographic variables for environmental and biodiversity modeling. Scientific Data, 5(1), 180040. https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2018.40

Fick, S.E., and R.J. Hijmans. 2017. “WorldClim 2: New 1‐km Spatial Resolution Climate Surfaces for Global Land Areas.” International Journal of Climatology 37 (12): 4302–15. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.5086

Harris, I., Osborn, T.J., Jones, P. et al. Version 4 of the CRU TS monthly high-resolution gridded multivariate climate dataset. Scientific Data 7, 109 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-020-0453-3

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. (n.d.). IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. https://www.iucnredlist.org

Lehner, B., Beames, P., Mulligan, M. et al. The Global Dam Watch database of river barrier and reservoir information for large-scale applications. Scientific Data 11, 1069 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03752-9

Liu, L., X. Cao, S. Li, and N. Jie. “A 31-Year (1990–2020) Global Gridded Population Dataset Generated by Cluster Analysis and Statistical Learning.” Scientific Data 11, no. 1 (January 24, 2024): 124. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-02913-0

Martens, B., Miralles, D.G., Lievens, H., van der Schalie, R., de Jeu, R.A.M., Fernández-Prieto, D., Beck, H.E., Dorigo, W.A., and Verhoest, N.E.C. 2017. GLEAM v3: satellite-based land evaporation and root-zone soil moisture, Geoscientific Model Development, 10, 1903–1925. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-1903-2017

Miralles, D.G., Holmes, T.R.H., de Jeu, R.A.M., Gash, J.H., Meesters, A.G.C.A., Dolman, A.J. 2011. Global land-surface evaporation estimated from satellite-based observations, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 15, 453–469. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-15-453-2011

Potapov P., Hansen M.C., Pickens A., Hernandez-Serna A., Tyukavina A., Turubanova S., Zalles V., Li X., Khan A., Stolle F., Harris N., Song X.-P., Baggett A., Kommareddy I., Kommareddy A. (2022) The global 2000-2020 land cover and land use change dataset derived from the Landsat archive: first results. Frontiers in Remote Sensing. https://doi.org/10.3389/frsen.2022.856903

Save, H., S. Bettadpur, and B.D. Tapley (2016), High resolution CSR GRACE RL05 mascons, Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth, 121. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JB013007

Save, H., 2020, "CSR GRACE and GRACE-FO RL06 Mascon Solutions v02." https://doi.org/10.15781/cgq9-nh24

Siebert, S., M. Kummu, M. Porkka, P. Döll, N. Ramankutty, and B. R. Scanlon. “A Global Data Set of the Extent of Irrigated Land from 1900 to 2005.” Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 19, no. 3 (March 25, 2015): 1521–45. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-1521-2015.

Yamazaki, D., D. Ikeshima, R. Tawatari, T. Yamaguchi, F. O’Loughlin, J.C. Neal, C.C. Sampson, S. Kanae, & P.D. Bates. (2017). A high‐accuracy map of global terrain elevations. Geophysical Research Letters, 44, 5844–5853. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL072874.