| West Rapti Kuwano | |
|---|---|
 West Rapti river atBhalubang | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Nepal,India |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Rapti Zone,Nepal south of border ofRukum District withRolpa District |
| • coordinates | 28°28′33″N82°52′44″E / 28.4757°N 82.8788°E /28.4757; 82.8788 |
| • elevation | 3,500 m (11,500 ft) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Ghaghara River |
• coordinates | 26°17′20″N83°40′08″E / 26.289°N 83.669°E /26.289; 83.669 |
• elevation | 60 m (200 ft) |
| Basin size | 23,900 km2 (9,200 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 136 m3/s (4,800 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Ganges |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Lungri Khola, Jhimruk Khola, Ami River,Rohini River |
| • right | Arun Khola, |
TheWest Rapti, also known as theKuwano, is a river which drainsRapti Zone inMid-Western Region, Nepal, thenAwadh andBhojpur-Purvanchal regions ofUttar Pradesh state,India before joining theGhaghara. It is a major left bank tributary of theGanges, and is also known as the Karnali in Nepal.
The West Rapti is notable forjanajati ethnic groups –Kham Magar among its highland sources and thenTharu inInner TeraiDeukhuri Valley, for its irrigation and hydroelectric potential, and for recurrent floods that led to its nickname "Gorakhpur's Sorrow".
Max depth 8.50
Min depth 10.7
Aciravati,Achirvati orAiravati is the ancient name for a river has been identified with the modern Rapti, flowing through what is nowNepal and the northern portion ofUttar Pradesh.[1][2] The Chinese pilgrimXuanzang knew it as A-chi-lo. Jain texts mention it as Eravai.[2]
The ancient city ofSravasti, once capital ofKosala Kingdom, stood on the western bank of the Achirvati. The river was a tributary of theSarayu. It was one of the five great rivers that constituted the Ganges group of rivers and one of the sacred rivers of theBuddhist midland.[2][3]
The Rapti rises south of a prominent E-W ridgeline midway between the westernDhaulagiri Himalaya and theMahabharat Range. A 3,500 metres (11,500 ft) summit on this ridgeline marks a tripledivide. North of the triple divide theKarnali andGandaki basins are adjacent; south of it the Rapti and similar but smallerBabai River (Nepali:बबई नदी;Babaī Nadī) separate the two larger basins. After crossing into India, the Babai and Rapti separately join the Karnali's continuation calledGhaghara. The Ghaghara ultimately joins the Ganges.
The Rapti's headwaters descend south from rugged highlands populated byKham Magar. The western tributaryMādī Kholā (Nepali:माडी खोला) rises in northwesternRolpa and is joined byLungrī Kholā (Nepali:लुङग्री खोला) draining northeastern Rolpa. The Mardi then crosses intoPyuthan. It is joined by east-flowing Arun Kholā (Nepali:अरुण खोला) at Devithān (Nepali:देवीथान) where it enters a gorge through theMahabharat Range.
Jhimruk Kholā (Nepali:झिमरुक खोला) -- east of the Mardi—mainly drainsPyuthan. Below the upper highlands, an alluvial valley opens where [[Brahman]] andChhetri rice farmers irrigatepaddy fields. AtCherneta, Pyuthan the Jhimruk approaches within 1.5 km of the Mardi and a 12 megawatthydroelectric plant exploits the Jhimruk being 200 meters higher.
Below Cherneta the Jhimruk loops east, becoming the border between Pyuthan andArghakhanchi District. Its valley narrows and steepens as it enters the Mahabharat Range. Partway through it joins the Mardi and the combined flow is then named the Rapti. The main river emerges from its gorge into the lowerSiwalik Hills andDang District. AtBhalubang Bazaar Nepal's east-westMahendra Highway bridges the river.
Below Bhalubang,Inner TeraiDeukhuri Valley opens between theDang andDudhwa Ranges, both sub ranges of the Siwaliks. Valley, following the WNW trend of the Siwalik hills for 100 km. Although the land is fertile, beforeDDT came into use in the 1950s Deukhuri was somalarial that only theTharu people who had genetic resistance could be confident of surviving the warmer months.
The river crosses from Dang intoBanke District. ApproachingNepalganj—largest town in Nepal's westernTerai—the Dudhwa Hills fall away and the river turns SE, crossing into Uttar Pradesh, India and flowing through districtsShravasti,Siddharth Nagar,Basti,Sant Kabir Nagar,Maharajganj District andGorakhpur, passingGorakhpur city at about 135 air miles (215 km) from Nepal.[citation needed]
Just west of the city it is joined by the smallerRohini rising further east in Nepal'sNawalparasi andRupandehi Districts, draining 794 km2 in Nepal then 1892 km2 following throughMaharajganj District in India. 60 km beyond Gorakhpur the Rapti joins the Ghaghara (Karnali) at Rajpur. About 120 km further on atChhapra, the Ghaghara reaches the Ganges.[4][5][6][7]
The Rapti's flow has great seasonal variation because the river lacks sources in high elevation glaciers and snowfields to buffer pre-monsoon drought. Average monthly flows atJalkundi (27°58'N, 82°14'E) in Deukhuri Valley vary from 17.6 m3/s in pre-monsoon April to 451 m3/s at the peak of the monsoon in August. Maximum recorded flood was 7,390 m3/s on 10 September 1981.100-year flood flows are predicted at 10,100 m3/s. Every year, floods threaten over 700,000 acres (280,000 ha) in Uttar Pradesh.[citation needed]
Flood control projects under study include a dam at Jalkundi that would inundate 71,000 acres (29,000 ha) of farmland in Deukhuri Valley. An alternative dam site is upstream atNaumure on the Pyuthan-Dang district border (27°53'N, 82°48'E). This would be an earthen dam 169 m high with 351 million cubic meters live storage capacity, storing excess monsoon flows for irrigation use during the following dry season and generating up to 207 megawatts. Impoundment would mainly be in gorges through the Mahabharat Range, inundating less farmland than the Jalkundi alternative. Plans are also underway for three irrigation sub-projects –Kapilvastu District 30,500 hectares (75,000 acres) involving interbasin water transfer to the southeast, Deukhuri Valley 9,500 hectares (23,000 acres), andBanke District 40,000 hectares (99,000 acres).[8]
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