Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Gangetic dolphin (
Platanista gangetica gangetica
),
and smooth-coated otter (
Lutrogale perspicillata
).
Most of these animals are scheduled species.
A 600 km stretch of the Chambal River between
Kota Barrage and Chambal-Yamuna confl uence has
been protected as the tristate National Chambal
Sanctuary. The National Chambal Sanctuary lies
between 24°55
with the Chambal fl owing along its major axis.
The National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary in
Rajasthan extends along the Chambal River from
Jawahar Sagar Dam to Kota Barrage and again,
after a gap of 18 km of free zone, from
Keshoraipatan to Pachnada at the confl uence of
Chambal and Yamuna rivers. Badland topography
is a characteristic feature of the Chambal valley,
whereas kankar has extensively developed in the
older alluvium (Heron
1953
).
The Chambal basin is characterized by an
undulating fl oodplain, gullies, and ravines (Gopal
and Srivastava
2008
). The area lies within the
semi-arid zone of northwestern India at the border
of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh
states (Hussain
2009
), and the vegetation consists
of ravine, thorn forest, a subtype of the northern
tropical forests (Champion and Seth
1968
).
Chambal River was studied at Singhadia, Rodi
bandi, and Rawatbhata; all of these locations are
part of Rana Pratap Sagar Dam (Chittorgarh dist.),
Jawahar Sagar Dam, upstream and downstream
to Kota Barrage, Keshoraipatan, Gainta, confl uence
point of Kalisindh and Chambal at Batawada in
Etawah, at confl uence points of the Parbati and
Banas with Chambal near Palighat (Sawai
Madhopur) Mandrel, (Karauli dist.), and down-
stream and upstream to Rajghat (Dholpur dist.)
(Fig s.
15.1
,
15.2
, and
15.3
).
′
to 26°50
′
N and 75°34
′
to 79°18
′
E. The sanctuary was formed in order to facilitate
the restoration of “ecological health” of this riverine
system and provide full protection for the endan-
gered gharial (
Gavialis gangeticus
). Since, most of
the protected higher animals are dependent on the
fi shes as their food. Therefore, present studies are
undertaken to know details of the fi sh community
from the Rajasthan part of the Chambal River
besides challenges and threats faced by them.
Fish collection was done only from the unpro-
tected parts of the Chambal River.
Study Area
Entire area along the length of the river bed was
surveyed from ahead of Gandhi Sagar Dam
(from where the river enters in the territory of
Rajasthan state) up to Rajghat in Dholpur District.
The Chambal is a rain fed catchment and the total
area drained up to its confl uence with the Yamuna
is 1, 43,219 km
2
. The 960 km long Chambal
River, a principal tributary of river Yamuna,
originates from the Singar Chouri peak at an
elevation of about 843 m the Vindhya Range near
Mhow in Indore District of Madhya Pradesh, at
an elevation of 354 m, at latitude 22° 27
Methods
Fishes were collected mainly by using cast and
gill nets. Hand net, scoop net, drag net, and baited
hooks were also used. The fi shes were also col-
lected from fi shermen's catch at many landing
sites located in the vicinity of Chambal River.
The fi shes were preserved in 10 % formalin for
further studies. The fi shes were identifi ed following
Day (
1878
), Johal and Tandon (
1979
,
1980
),
Talwar and Jhingran (
1991
), Menon (
1992
),
Jayaram (
1999
), and
www.fi shbase.org
, version
(02/2014) Editors, Froese and Pauly (
2014
).
Fishes were collected from the unprotected
portions of the river besides from the tributaries
of the Chambal River.
′
and
longitude 73° 20
. The Chambal basin lies
between latitudes 22° 27
′
′
N and 27° 20
′
N and
longitudes 73° 20
E. On its south,
east and west, the basin is bounded by the Vindhyan
mountain ranges and on the northwest by the
Aravallis. Below the confl uence of the Parvathi
and Banas, the catchment becomes narrower and
elongated. In this reach, it is bounded by the
Aravalli mountain ranges on the North and the
Vindhyan hill range on the south (Jain et al.
2007
).
The Chambal drainage area resembles a rectangle
up to the junction of the Parvathi and Banas Rivers
′
E and 79° 15
′
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