Ajay Kumar at 17:53, 29 August 2023

2023-08-29T17:53:08Z

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{{Short description|River in Jharkhand and West Bengal}}
{{Infobox river
| name = Barakar River
| native_name =
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| image = Barakar River at Barano village, Jharkhand.JPG
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| image_caption = Barakar River at Barano, Hazaribagh, Jharkhand
| map = Damodar Map.jpg
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| subdivision_type1 = Country
| subdivision_name1 = [[India]]
| subdivision_type2 = State
| subdivision_name2 = [[Jharkhand]], [[West Bengal]]
| subdivision_type3 =
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| length = {{convert|225|km|mi|abbr=on}}
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| source1 = [[Padma, Hazaribagh]]
| source1_location = [[Hazaribagh district]], [[Chota Nagpur Plateau]], [[Jharkhand]]
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| tributaries_left = [[Usri River]]
| tributaries_right = [[Barsoti River]]
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}}The '''Barakar River''' is the main tributary of the [[Damodar River]] in eastern [[India]]. Originating near [[Padma, Hazaribagh|Padma]] in [[Hazaribagh district]] of [[Jharkhand]] it flows for {{convert|225|km|mi}} across the northern part of the [[Chota Nagpur Plateau]], mostly in a west to east direction, before joining the Damodar near [[Dishergarh]] in [[Asansol]], [[Bardhaman district]] of [[West Bengal]]. It has a catchment area of {{convert|6159|km2|mi2}}. The main tributaries, Barsoti and Usri, flow in from the south and north respectively. Apart from the two main tributaries some fifteen medium or small streams join it.<ref>Chattopadhyay, Akkori, ''Bardhaman Jelar Itihas O Lok Sanskriti'' (History and Folk lore of Bardhaman District.), {{in lang|bn}}, Vol I, p 26, Radical Impression. {{ISBN|81-85459-36-3}}</ref>

The Barakar skirts the northern portion of [[Parasnath Hills]], {{convert|1350|m|ft}} above sea level, the highest hill in the region, located in [[Giridih district]] of Jharkhand and a centre of [[Jain]] pilgrimage.

==Floods==
[[File:Barakar River3.JPG|thumb|Barakar River at [[Barakar]], Asansol, Bardhaman district]]
[[File:Barakar River Railway Bridge in Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand, India, photographed by Yogabrata Chakraborty, on 6 June 2023.jpg|thumb|Barakar River Railway Bridge in 2023]]
The river flows in all fury during the rains in its upper reaches and has washed away two bridges constructed successively on the [[Grand Trunk Road]]. The great stone bridge across the river near [[Barhi, Hazaribagh|Barhi]], in Hazaribagh district, built around 1848, was washed away in 1913, after a fall of {{convert|10|in|mm|order=flip}} of rain in 24 hours. The narrow iron bridge, which was built to replace it, withstood the strains of troop movement during the Second World War, but gave way in 1946, with another great flood.<ref>Houlton, Sir John, ''Bihar the Heart of India'', 1949, p117, Orient Longmans Ltd.</ref> A new bridge built in the 1950s has withstood the fury of the river.

There is another bridge on the Grand Trunk Road, across the Barakar, connecting [[Barakar]] a [[neighbourhood]] in [[Asansol]] having the same name, in [[Bardhaman district]] of [[West Bengal]] with Chirkunda in Jharkhand. With heavy traffic in the heart of the coal belt, the bridge built in the mid-19th century is in need of repairs. A new bridge has been built, to the north, on the bypass running from Kalipahari in [[Asansol]] to Nirsa in Dhanbad district.

The huge volume of [[monsoon]] water was carried down the valley and formerly created havoc with floods in the lower Damodar basin. Annual rainfall over the basin varies between {{convert|765|and|1607|mm|in}} with an average of {{convert|1200|mm|in}} of which 80 percent occurs during the monsoon season from June to September.<ref name="Damodar">{{cite web
|url=http://envfor.nic.in/divisions/cltech/Damodar/1.1.htm
|title=Damodar Valley
|access-date=2007-02-14
|publisher=Ministry of Environments and Forests
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927182506/http://envfor.nic.in/divisions/cltech/Damodar/1.1.htm
|archive-date=2007-09-27
}}</ref> In order to harness the river (along with the Damodar), the [[Damodar Valley Corporation]] (DVC) planned and implemented independent India's first multipurpose river valley project.<ref name="DVC">{{cite web
|url = http://www.dvcindia.org
|title = Damodar Valley Corporation
|access-date = 2007-02-14
|publisher = Damodar Valley Corporation
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070210232841/http://www.dvcindia.org/
|archive-date = 2007-02-10
|url-status = dead
}}</ref> The first dam of the project was constructed across the Barakar at Tilayia.

==Dams and power stations==

===Tilaiya===

DVC's first dam, [[Tilaiya Dam]], was across the Barakar at [[Tilaiya]], in [[Hazaribagh district]] of [[Jharkhand]], now in [[Koderma district]] of [[Jharkhand]]. It was inaugurated on 21 February 1953. The dam is {{convert|366|m|ft|sp=us}} long and is {{convert|30.18|m|ft|sp=us}} high from the river bed level. Tilaiya hydel power station is located on the left bank of the river Barakar. The structure is entirely of reinforced concrete. It has two generating units of 2 MW each with a provision for a third future unit of the same capacity.<ref name= "DVC"/>

===Maithon===
[[File:Maithon_dam_inside.jpg|thumb|Maithon dam inside]]

DVC's second dam was across the [[Konar River|Konar]], a tributary of the Damodar, in Hazaribagh district, and the third was across the Barakar at [[Maithon]] in [[Dhanbad district]] of Bihar, now Jharkhand. The river forms the boundary between [[West Bengal]] and Jharkhand in that area. The dam was inaugurated on 27 September 1957. The dam (both concrete and earthen) is {{convert|4860|m|ft|sp=us}} long and the concrete dam is {{convert|43.89|m|ft|sp=us}} high above the river bed level. The unique feature of Maithon is that the hydel power station is located underground in the left bank of the river (on the West Bengal side) and is the first of its kind in India. The Power Station has a total generating capacity of 60 MW with three units of 20 [[Watt|MW]] each. About {{convert|13|km|mi|0}} downstream from Maithon, the Barakar joins the Damodar at [[Dishergarh]].<ref name= "DVC"/>

[[Maithon Dam]] is {{convert|48|km|mi}} from [[Dhanbad]] and around {{convert|25|km|mi}} from [[Asansol]]. Other neighbourhood and suburbs in Asansol namely [[Rupnarainpur]], [[Chittaranjan]] and [[Kulti]]-[[Barakar]]-[[Neamatpur]]-[[Dishergarh]] lie still nearer. It receives a steady and daily stream of tourists.

In order to augment the meagre hydroelectric power generation DVC has gone in for both gas turbine and thermal power generation. While most of its facilities for such generation lie in the Damodar region, Maithon in the Barakar regions is a major focal point. Maithon Gas Turbine Station was commissioned at Maithon in 1989. The station has an installed capacity of 82.5 MW with three units each of 27.5 MW capacity.<ref name= "DVC"/>

The 2 X 500 MW Maithon Right Bank thermal power station is under implementation. It is a joint venture of [[Tata Power]] and DVC. A 2 X 500 MW greenfield thermal power station has been proposed for Koderma.<ref name= "DVC"/><ref name= "Tatapower">{{cite press release
| url =http://www.tata.com/tata_power/releases/20050329.htm
| title = Tata Power signs generation pact with DVC on Maithon project
| access-date = 2007-02-14
| publisher =Tata Power
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061230125843/http://www.tata.com/tata_power/releases/20050329.htm| archive-date= 30 December 2006 | url-status= live}}</ref>

==Fisheries==
The reservoirs at Tilaiya and Maithon, provided scope for development of fisheries. Efforts were made to introduce [[carp]] once the water accumulated behind the dams but the results have not been commensurate with the efforts.<ref name= "Fish">{{cite web
| url = http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/003/V5930E/V5930E15.htm
| title = Fisheries
| access-date = 2007-02-14
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070129144643/http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/003/V5930E/V5930E15.htm| archive-date= 29 January 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Environment|Ecology}}
*[[List of rivers of India]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

{{Damodar Valley}}
{{Hydrography of Jharkhand}}
{{Rivers in and around Bengal}}

{{Coord|23|42|N|86|48|E|display=title|region:IN_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki}}

[[Category:Rivers of Jharkhand]]
[[Category:Rivers of West Bengal]]

Barakar River - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 17:53, 29 August 2023