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| Babai River | |
|---|---|
 Babai River | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Nepal and India |
| Location | Inner Terai,Siwaliks andTerai |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | eastern end ofDang Valley |
| • coordinates | 27°58′27″N82°34′06″E / 27.97417°N 82.56833°E /27.97417; 82.56833 |
| • elevation | 672 m (2,205 ft) |
| Mouth | |
• location | atGhaghara River WNW ofBahraich |
• coordinates | 27°44′08″N81°17′54″E / 27.73556°N 81.29833°E /27.73556; 81.29833 |
• elevation | 118 m (387 ft) |
| Length | about 400 km (250 mi) |
| Basin size | 3,500 km2 (1,400 sq mi)in Nepal, 200 km2 (77 sq mi) in India |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 71 m3/s (2,500 cu ft/s) (4 in April - 588 in July, at Chepang above Sharada confluence) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | NepalMid-West Region:Dang,Salyan,Bardiya districts;IndiaUttar PradeshAwadh region:Bahraich district |
| River system | Ganges |
| Tributaries | |
| • right | Sharada Khola |
TheBabai River (Nepali:बबई नदी) originates in and completely drainsInner Terai Dang Valley ofMid-WesternNepal. Dang is an oval valley between theMahabharat Range andSiwalik Hills in itseponymous district. Dang was anciently home toindigenousTharu people and came to be ruled from India by theHouse of Tulsipur who also counted as one of theBaise Rajya (Nepali:बाइसे राज्य)—a confederation of 22petty kingdoms in theKarnali (Ghagra) region. About 1760 AD all these kingdoms were annexed by theShah Dynasty during theunification of Nepal, except Tulsipur lands south of the Siwalik Hills were not taken. Since Dang Valley was somewhat higher, cooler, better-drained and therefore lessmalarial than most of the country's Inner Terai, it was settled to some extent by Shah andRana courtiers and otherPaharis long beforeDDT was introduced to control the disease-bearingAnopheles mosquito.
Exiting Dang Valley and its district, the Babai entersSalyan District and flows between sub-ranges of the Siwalik Hills along their west-northwest axis. Sharada Khola drains about half of Salyan's largerMiddle Hills region before cutting through the Mahabharat Range and joining the Babai from the right. Salyan was another Baise principality before unification. About 20 kilometres (12 mi) beyond this confluence, the Babai crosses intoBardiya District and entersBardiya National Park. The river continues another 30 kilometres (19 mi) west-northwest until the enclosing Siwalik hills fall away and theOuter Terai begins. At this point the river crosses Nepal's main east–westMahendra Highway and exits the national park.
On the Outer Terai the Babai is finally free to gradually bend left toward the main inclination of theIndo-Gangetic Plain. The river flows south some 40 kilometres (25 mi) and entersIndia'sUttar Pradesh state. The Babai continues about 50 kilometres (31 mi) (straight line) south from the border before joining the much largerGhaghara from the left at about 35 kilometres (22 mi) west-northwest ofBahraich. This confluence is about 10 kilometres (6 mi) upstream of theSharda (Mahakali) confluence from the right.
In Nepal thecatchment of the Babai is bordered by that of theRapti on the north, east and south; and by the main Ghaghra catchment on the west until their confluence. In India the Rapti takes a more easterly course, joining the Ghagra some 285 kilometres (177 mi) southeast of the Babai's confluence.
InSeason 9, Episode 55 of the television series River Monsters,Jeremy Wade visitsBardia National Park to fish the Babai. He hoped to catch a largeGoonch catfish but was unsuccessful.
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