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The escalating rates of deforestation, compounded by land degradation arising from intensified mining operations, forest fires, encroachments, and road infrastructure, among other factors, are severely disrupting the botanical and soil ecology of tropical ecosystems. This research focused on the upper Narmada River catchment area in central India, employing geospatial methodologies to assess land use and land cover (LULC) changes. Landsat 5, 7, and 8 satellite data for 2000, 2010, and 2022 were digitally classified using the maximum likelihood algorithm within the ERDAS IMAGINE and ArcGIS platforms. LULC was delineated into five categories (i.e., water bodies, built-up land, agricultural areas, forested regions, and fallow land). A spatio-temporal analysis revealed substantial declines of approximately 156 km2 in fallow land and 148 km2 in forested areas, accounting for 3.21% of the total area, while built-up land, water bodies, and agriculture land expanded between 2000 and 2022. There was a notable negative correlation observed between the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Land Surface Temperature (LST) across all LULC categories, except water bodies. The Land Degradation Vulnerability Index indicated that fallow lands, followed by forests and agriculture areas, exhibited a high vulnerability, with 43.16% of the landscape being categorized as vulnerable over the past 22 years. This study underscores the imperative of effective ecological restoration to mitigate land degradation processes and foster resilient ecosystems. The findings emphasize the importance of integrating scientific data into policy-making frameworks to ensure the comprehensive and timely management of the Narmada River landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water quality of Narmada River is decreasing down and the pollution is increasing as the length of time is increasing. It was also visually observed that Narmada River water is getting polluted due to anthropogenic activities of the human beings, such as bathing, cleaning clothes, religious wastes dumped into the River, vehicles washing, used pesticides containers nearby River and sewage wastes mixed with River water. Physicochemical parameters of three different sites viz., Bhedaghat, Lamhetaghat and Temar of Narmada River Jabalpur were analyzed along with Fish farm Bargi Nagar. Physicochemical parameters like temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), CO2 and total alkalinity were studied during June 2023 to November 2023. During the experimental period the water temperature, transparency, DO, pH, total alkalinity and free CO2 were recorded in the range of 22.5 to 30.2°C, 10.11 to 39.34 cm, 5.5 to 8.5 mg/l, 8 to 8.9, 160 to 220 mg/l and 3.8 to 5.9 mg/l, respectively. Results of the physicochemical parameters of present study indicated the poor water quality of Bhedaghat and Lamhetaghat as compared to Temar site of Narmada River due to different anthropogenic activities. This is the preliminary study regarding the conservation of state fish Mahseer of Madhya Pradesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was undertaken to determine / assess the contamination of heavy metals in different six sites of Narmada River in Jabalpur region. The study was conducted during September, 2022 to February, 2023. Water samples of different Sites A to F were also assessed for presence of heavy metals by spot test. The results indicated the presence of heavy metals (Lead, Copper and Mercury) in the sites B and C. Results showed poor water quality of these sites due to the different anthropogenic activities. Twenty-four fishes (Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus) were collected from different sites for histopathological study. Liver tissues were collected from all fishes. The liver tissues of fishes showed normal structure in control group (Site A). In the fishes of Site B, the liver showed necrosis of hepatocytes and vascular degenerations. In the fishes of Site C, the liver tissues showed hydropic vacuolation and necrosis. In the fishes of Site D, the liver sections showed congestion and central vein nuclear pyknosis. However, the liver tissue showed vacuolation, degenerative and necrotic changes in the fishes of Site E. Similarly, the liver tissues showed degenerations of hepatocytes and intravascular haemolysis in blood vessels in the fishes of Site F. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have long been trying to identify and estimate the impacts on the hydrological regime of rivers caused due to anthropogenic activities. In the present study, IHA was used to analyse the effect of dams on the flow regime of the upper and middle Narmada River. A total of 33 indicators were analysed to calculate Hydrological alteration due to dams in Narmada River. Average HA Index values of all 33 parameters are relatively higher for middle Narmada at Mandleshwar (0.86) than that of upper Narmada at Burmanghat (0.57). The average extreme water conditions have decreased both in frequency and in duration. Specifically, fewer floods and less low flow events have occurred in the post-dam period. The main purpose of this article is to identify and quantify the variations in the hydrologic regime so that the cumulative impacts of anthropogenic activities on water resources and the aquatic ecosystems may be reduced using proper water resource management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wealth of geological data is now available from the Mainland Gujarat, Kachchh, and Saurashtra in Gujarat state that highlight major geological events including the breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea and subsequent tectonic and sedimentary evolution of the western continental margin of India. The present article showcases six important geological sites from the Narmada-Son Fault (NSF) zone, the Lower Narmada Valley, and the Lower Mahi Valley in central Mainland Gujarat from geoheritage and geotourism point of view. Three geosites are included from the NSF zone that comprise textbook examples of a fault controlled landscape and tectonically active fault zone. One of these geosites contains a layer of Youngest Toba Tuff (YTT) ash layer midway in the exposed river cliff section that represents the largest volcanic eruption during Quaternary time, which occurred at ~74 ka in Indonesia. Two geosites from the Lower Narmada Valley are described that comprise one of the world’s largest Late Pleistocene alluvial fan deposits and alluvial plain sediments with large-scale sedimentary bedforms indicating large size of the paleo-Narmada River compared to the present one. The geosite in Lower Mahi Valley comprises sediments representing the climatic changes during the last full glacial cycle, vertically stacked in one river section. All the described geosites are close to and accessible from the world’s tallest statue, the “Statue of Unity”, which attracts millions of tourists. The geosites may be integrated with this tourist place and other sacred pilgrimage places along Narmada River to make geotourism sustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was undertaken to assess the contamination of heavy metals in different six sites of Narmada River in Jabalpur region. The study was conducted during September, 2022 to February, 2023. Water samples were collected from different sites: Site A (Near Mangeli village, opposite site of Gwarighat), Site B (Khirnighat), Site C (Khandarinala), Site D (Gwarighat), Site E (Tilwaraghat) and Site F (Bhedhaghat) for the analysis of water chemical parameters viz., dissolved oxygen (DO), carbon dioxide (CO2 ) and total ammonia. Level of DO was found lower in the Site B and Site C as compared to the Site D to F and Site A. Levels of CO2 and total ammonia were observed higher in the Site B and Site C as compared to the Sites D to F and Site A, indicating more heavy metal contamination in sites B and C as compared to the site D, E and F. Water samples of different Sites A to F were also assessed for presence of heavy metals by spot test. The results indicated the presence of heavy metals (lead, copper and mercury) in the sites B and C. Results showed poor water quality of these sites due to the different anthropogenic activities. Twenty-four fishes (Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus) were collected from different sites for histopathological study. Gill tissues were collected from all fishes. The gills tissues of fishes showed normal structure in control group (Site A). In the fishes of Site B, the gill section showed necrosis of epithelial cells of secondary gill lamellae. In the fishes of Site C, the gill section showed degeneration of gill lamellae and hyperplasia of chloride cells. In the fishes of Site D, the gill sections showed degenerative changes and disruption of primary gill lamellae. However, the gill tissues showed degeneration of gill lamellae and secondary gill lamellae in the fishes of Site E. Similarly, the gill tissues showed degeneration and disruption in the fishes of Site F. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the middle of the last century, the so-called acceleration of the water cycle, due to global warming, has led to increased rainfall variability worldwide. In this research, change point detection in the monsoon rainfall of the Narmada River basin (central India) was analysed. This analysis, based on seven rainfall stations at an annual scale during the 1901–2015 period, utilised a combination of the Bayesian approach (BA) with the discrete wavelet transform (DWT). The analysis indicates a shift towards drier conditions starting in the 1960s, with a long-term trend beginning as early as the 1920s. It was revealed that the high variability of monsoon rainfall can be attributed to the dominance of intra-annual, multi-annual, and less-than-decadal cyclical phenomena (short- and medium-term phenomena), which mask existing change points, thus creating difficulties for the BA in identifying them. Overall, the BA-DWT methods effectively detected the change and multi-change points in the studied monsoon rainfall time series, thereby outperforming the BA method when applied to the original series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrological climate variables such as precipitation, temperature, humidity, evapotranspiration, infiltration, and streamflow provide useful information for the effective planning, design, and management of water resources. In the present study, monthly precipitation and streamflow data were analyzed to assess the variability in trends of precipitation over the Upper Narmada Basin (UNB), Middle Narmada Basin (MNB), and Lower Narmada Basin (LNB) for 41 years (1981–2021) using the widely accepted Mann–Kendall Test (MKT), Innovative Trend Analysis (ITA), and magnitude by Sen's Slope estimator, thereby extending further by a decade, the last study by Thomas and others in 2015. The inclusion of more factors affecting the streamflow in response to the rainfall often makes the model very complex and unreliable. In the present study, to overcome this limitation, a simple yet most definite correlation was established between rainfall and streamflow, which can serve as a meaningful indicator of basin behavior. Poor correlation was observed for the UNB and the MNB compared to the LNB, which may be attributed to the presence of tributaries. The result of this study will be helpful to policymakers and water resource managers to plan and adopt suitable schemes of water conservation and management in the Narmada basin. HIGHLIGHTS The study area is falling in the western Indian region having low water conditions.; The rainfall trend has been changing due to climate change and the present study highlights this trend in the recent 20 years.; A rainfall response in the form of streamflow is a much-needed information for watershed management.; Correlation between precipitation and streamflow provides insights about this fundamental relation in the study area.;

Surface water chemistry of the upper Narmada River was investigated at 13 different locations for four consecutive years (2017–2020) during pre- and post-monsoon seasons. The main objective of the study was to identify the processes governing the water chemistry of Narmada River and evaluate its suitability for irrigation. The physical parameters estimated were; pH (7.9 ± 0.4 for pre- and 8 ± 0.4 for post-monsoon seasons), EC (322.8±93.3 μS/cm for pre- and 312.1±80.2 μS/cm for post-monsoon) and TDS (203.4±41.5 mg/L for pre-and 213.4±48 mg/L for post-monsoon). The obtained concentration of cations and anions were in the order of Ca++ > Na+ > Mg++> K+ and HCO3−> Cl−>SO4−> NO3−> PO4− respectively. Thus, the water of Narmada was found to be alkaline in nature. Piper diagram inferred that the water was dominated by Ca-Mg-HCO3− type of hydrochemical facies. Gibb's plot clarified that rock-water interaction regulates the ion chemistry of the Narmada. Various indices like sodium percentage (Na%), sodium absorption ration (SAR), Kelly index (Ki), permeability index (PI), magnesium hazard (MH) was calculated which showed that the surface water was suitable for irrigation. Lastly, one-way ANOVA (p < 0.05) confirmed no significant differences in water quality except for temperature, EC and SO4−, for pre- and post-monsoon season. HIGHLIGHTS The dominant cation and anion was Ca++ and HCO3− in the Narmada River.; Surface water is characterized as alkaline in nature.; Carbonate and silicate weathering influence the hydrochemistry of Narmada River.; Na%, SAR, Ki, PI, and MH supports surface water suitable for irrigation.; Novel study of the Narmada River.;

In this study, sedimentary deposits around the confluence of the Narmada River and its tributary, Orsang River, western India, were studied to understand the confluence dynamics. The results indicate that the sediment sequences exposed at three sites represent the contribution from the Narmada River, the Orsang River and the Heran River at various stages. During the Late Pleistocene, the sedimentation occurred as channel beds and bars in the wider than present and bedload dominant Narmada River. The channel aggradation, shifting and realignment, guided the Orsang River to change its course to flow through the lower course of the Heran River and join the Narmada in response to the early Holocene tectonic activity. High flood flows deposited fine sediments in the channel widening due to tributary confluence and within backflooded Orsang (tributary) valley during mid-late Holocene. The lateral migration of Narmada due to successive high flows during the mid-late Holocene probably led to the downstream movement of the Narmada–Orsang confluence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was performed to assess water quality in the Narmada River, the third-longest river in India. Water samples were collected from 6 major sampling stations with 17 sampling points. Nine water quality parameters were analyzed to calculate the water quality index (WQI), followed by multivariate statistical evaluation. The results indicated that water quality in the upper Narmada varied from excellent to very poor – comprising excellent for approximately 12%, good for 17%, poor for 59%, and very poor for 12% of pre-monsoon samples, but excellent for 17%, good for 12%, and poor for 71% of post-monsoon. While the general water quality in the Narmada was poor, anthropogenic inputs such as domestic sewage and agricultural runoff influenced some parameters – e.g. BOD, nitrate, and total coliform. More studies are required for completing water quality evaluation.

Traditional knowledge (TK) plays a very important role in the lives of millions of people around the world. There is an immense need for documentation of traditional knowledge especially in countries rich in biodiversity, such as India. Bargi is one of the major dams constructed on the river Narmada in Madhya Pradesh. Local communities have used various fishing methods since time immemorial. Construction of the dam changes the ecology and hydrology of the river. Tribal communities have adapted their fishing techniques to these changes and have also developed new techniques. Fishing technique described in this paper is practiced around Bargi Reservoir. Five types of crafts and different gears were encountered during the two years of seasonal survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Narmada River is one of the largest rivers in Western India encompassing a watershed area of 92,672 km2. It is one of the most important rivers for water needs of the state of Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh. The climate of the basin is humid and tropical but region surrounding this river watershed is predominantly dry and resembles semi-arid conditions. The population inside the states covering this watershed increased by an average of 23% from 1991 to 2011 causing multitude of water scarcity and water quality deterioration issues. These problems were caused by increase in sewage waste and untreated industrial discharge dumped into the river stream along with chemical fertilizers washing off from the farmlands flowing into the river. While there are several studies that model the watershed hydrology and water balance components, there has been no study that analyses the transport of nutrients inside the watershed. This study aims at using a semi-distributed hydrological model—Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to model the nitrogen (NO2 + NO3) transport and distribution inside the basin for 2001–2019. Nutrients and discharge data from Central Water Commission (CWC) of India were used to build this model along with other required input forcing obtained through remotely sensed datasets. We found that the subbasins near boundary of the Narmada watershed are experiencing significant increase in nitrogen concentrations at an estimated rate of 0.0001–0.002 mg/L/yr. The potential reason for such increase is high rate of conversion of forested land to agricultural land causing usage of fertilizers that are rich in nitrogen.

Sediment-Runoff process is highly variable and nonlinear in nature. In the present study an attempt has been made to develop a relationship between watershed stream length and Sediment Yield Index (SYI) and test it on Narmada watersheds, Madhya Pradesh, India. Area (A), Curve Number (CN) and stream length (SL) were utilized as input for model development. The three models (A model, CN model and simplified All India Soil and Land Use Survey (AISLUS) model including parameter SL) performed differently, with the coefficient of R2 equal to 0.01, 0.02 and 0.71 (Shakkar watershed), 0.11, 0.23 and 0.91 (Bamhani watershed), 0.06, 0.001 and 0.80 (Manot watershed) and 0.40, 0.05 and 0.66 (Mohgaon watershed), respectively. The logarithmic simplified AISLUS model incorporating parameter SL resulted with the coefficient of R2 as 0.76 (Shakkar watershed), 0.93 (Bamhani watershed), 0.84 (Manot watershed) and 0.66 (Mohgaon watershed). Therefore, the logarithm simplified AISLUS model was chosen as the best regression model for this study. It is observed that the simplified AISLUS model (logarithm form) incorporating parameter SL had a satisfactory efficiency as 76.35% (Shakkar watershed), 66.05% (Mohgaon watershed), 93.36% (Bamhani watershed), and 83.83% (Manot watershed) by Nash efficiency scale. The resulting higher Nash efficiency values support the versatility of the derived relationship and invoke assessment of SYI from the watershed stream length value. The prediction of SYI is important when adopting a suitable soil conservation measure in the watershed for minimizing soil erosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

River Narmada is the fifth largest holy river of Madhya Pradesh (M.P) flowing in the central part of India. The river receives large quantity of untreated/partially treated wastewater enriched with heavy metals and supplementary toxic organic pollutants. This study aims to assess the water quality status in river Narmada using indices like comprehensive pollution index (CPI), heavy metal pollution index (HPI), risk assessment index (RAI) and cancer risk index (CRI), for human use. The presence of faecal coliform and high chemical oxygen demand > 20 mg/L indicates that the water is unsuitable for drinking purposes. The average CPI and HPI evaluated to be 1.98, and 1.35, respectively signifies the moderately polluted river water. Considerably, the RAI > 1 and CRI > 1 is obtained at all sampling locations that alarms the possible cancer risk to human if untreated river water is used. Principal component analysis of data confirmed pollution in the river from both natural and anthropogenic sources. The strongest Pearson correlation coefficient between Cu-Pb (0.998) and Zn-Cu (0.986) indicates the input of wastewater in the river probably from electroplating industries. The river water is unsuitable for human intake. It is required to control direct flow of wastewater in river to restore ecological health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plankton is one of the key elements for biological monitoring of riverine ecosystem. It is of paramount importance to understand plankto-environmental interaction for river ecological assessment. This article has presented an alternative model-based analytical framework to quantify plankto-environmental interactions and prediction thereof for a tropical river system. Analysis of secondary data on the Narmada River in India has made it possible to accomplish this. Hierarchical cluster analysis, based on water quality similarity, has been applied for grouping of sites. The resulted clusters slightly deviate from subjective division of the river, but their formation have been coherently ordered downstream-wise. Generalized additive modeling (GAM) with Poisson error assumption of plankton abundance has been the key modeling approach. The GAM, which has explained 66% and 88% deviance of phytoplankton and zooplankton density, respectively, has identified four (transparency, nitrate, temperature, alkalinity) out of thirteen water quality attributes in order of their relative influence on the phytoplankton and zooplankton abundance. The study has established that, in riverine system, application of GAM model under Poisson error assumption has been very effective; and the model has provided reasonably accurate prediction of plankton abundance along hydrologic distance—with noise reduction due to water quality parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Narmada River is considered to be the holy river of the state Madhya Pradesh. A study was considered for the development of water quality index using eight parameters pH, Temperature, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Turbidity, Nitrate-Nitrogen (NO3-N), Phosphate (PO43−), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Dissolved Oxygen (DO) measured at six different sites (S1–S6) along the river Narmada. Three methods (Weighted Arithmetic Water Quality Index, National Sanitation Foundation Water Quality Index and Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment Water Quality Index) were used for calculation of water quality index. This was observed that the water quality was found to be excellent to good in the season summer and winter and poor to unsuitable for human consumption in the season monsoon along the river Narmada. The fall in the quality of water in monsoon season was due to poor sanitation, turbulent flow, soil erosion and high anthropogenic activities.

Gobiids are a large group of fishes inhabiting freshwater, marine and brackish water habitats. Trypauchen is the Indo-Pacific genus and comprises of two species: Trypauchen pelaeos known from Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and China; and T. vagina, distributed from Kuwait, along the coasts of India, ranging eastward to the Philippines, Taiwan and China. A specimen of T. vagina (Bloch and Schneider 1801) was caught by cast net from the shallow water of the Narmada River on 11 April 2017 that has later been preserved in the museum of Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara (voucher number: ZL-CH-OSH-026). This paper presents the first observation of T. vagina in the Narmada River in Gujarat.

Abstract Most of the studies on Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models remain restricted to smaller rivers and catchments. In this paper, an attempt has been made to correlate variability of sediment loads with rainfall and runoff through the application of the Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN) algorithm for a large tropical river. The algorithm and simulation are done through MATLAB environment. The methodology comprised of a collection of data on rainfall, water discharge, and sediment discharge for the Narmada River at various locations (along with time variables) and application to develop a three-layer BPNN model for the prediction of sediment discharges. For training and validation purposes a set of 549 data points for the monsoon (16 June-15 November) period of three consecutive years (1996–1998) was used. For testing purposes, the BPNN model was further trained using a set of 732 data points of monsoon season of four years (2006–07 to 2009–10) at nine stations. The model was tested by predicting daily sediment load for the monsoon season of the year 2010–11. To evaluate the performance of the BPNN model, errors were calculated by comparing the actual and predicted loads. The validation and testing results obtained at all these locations are tabulated and discussed. Results obtained from the model application are robust and encouraging not only for the sub-basins but also for the entire basin. These results suggest that the proposed model is capable of predicting the daily sediment load even at downstream locations, which show nonlinearity in the transportation process. Overall, the proposed model with further training might be useful in the prediction of sediment discharges for large river basins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temporal change in rainfall erosivity varies due to the rainfall characteristic (amount, intensity, frequency, duration), which affects the conservation of soil and water. This study illustrates the variation of rainfall erosivity due to changing rainfall in the past and the future. The projected rainfall is generated by SDSM (Statistical DownScaling Model) after calibration and validation using two GCMs (general circulation model) data of HadCM3 (A2 and B2 scenario) and CGCM3 (A1B and A2 scenario). The selected study area is mainly a cultivable area with an agricultural based economy. This economy depends on rainfall and is located in a part of the Narmada river basin in central India. Nine rainfall locations are selected that are distributed throughout the study area and surrounding. The results indicate gradually increasing projected rainfall while the past rainfall has shown a declined pattern by Mann–Kendall test with statistical 95% confidence level. Rainfall erosivity has increased due to the projected increase in the future rainfall (2080 s) in comparison to the past. Rainfall erosivity varies from −32.91% to 24.12% in the 2020s, −18.82 to 75.48% in 2050 s and 20.95–202.40% in 2080s. The outputs of this paper can be helpful for the decision makers to manage the soil water conservation in this study area.

Deteriorating water quality has become a serious problem in developing countries. Almost 70% of Indian’s surface water resources have become contaminated due to the discharge of untreated sewage and industrial effluents. The results reveals that out of nine water quality stations monitored, water samples collected at 5 water quality stations (Amarkantak, Dindori, Manot, Barmanghat and Handia) are found to be within the permissible limit for all purposes in respect to trace & toxic metals. While Sandia, Hoshangabad, Mandleshwar and Garudeshwar stations were beyond the permissible limit due to presence of chromium, copper and iron metals. The major source of pollution to the Narmada river is the anthropogenic municipal solid waste and sewage from nearby towns/habitations, agricultural runoff and native soil erosion. The quality of the Narmada River is degraded due to the municipal and industrial discharges from the catchment.

The spiny eel Mastacembelus armatus is an economically important freshwater food fish native of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia and other parts of South-east Asia. The study was conducted from river Narmada to determine the fecundity of Mastacembelus armatus during the period of one year (2006-2007). Fecundity of fish was determined by numerical method. It ranged from 1872 eggs to 5402 eggs in total length range of 42.1 to 47.9cms. The Fecundity of Mastacembelus armatus in relation to fish length, fish weight & ovary weight was worked out.

Morphometric analysis of six sub-watersheds (Chandni Nalla, Tawa River, Gunjari Nalla, Gadaria Nalla, Kaliyadeh River and Bhagner River) in the central zone of the Narmada River basin was carried out using remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques. The morphometric parameters of the sub-watersheds are classified under linear, aerial and relief aspects. Morphometric analysis has been carried out using GIS software-ERDAS Imagine (V 8.7) and Arc GIS (V 9.0). Drainage network in the study area shows dendritic pattern. Dendritic pattern, in general is considered as a group of resequent streams within homogenous lithology and gently sloping topography. Stream orders range from first to sixth order. Results obtained from the morphometric analysis show that all sub-watersheds have very coarse to coarse drainage texture and fall under normal basin category, while the elongation ratio (Re) shows that Chandni sub-watershed is circular in shape and the remaining sub-watersheds are elongated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a frequency distribution study on maximum monthly flood data in Narmada River at Garudeshwar station using widely used frequency distributions for periods from 1949 to 1979. The Normal, Lognormal, Log pearson type III and Gumbell extreme value type I are proposed and tested together with their single distributions to identify the optimal model for maximum monthly flood analysis. The selected model will be determined based on the minimum error produced by some criteria of goodness of-fit (GOF) tests. The results indicated that Normal distribution is better than the other distributions in modeling maximum monthly flood magnitude at Garudeshwar station in Narmada River. Hence frequency curve at Garudeshwar station is derived using Normal distribution method. However these results can vary between the flow gauge stations which are strongly influenced by their geographical, topographical and climatic factors. The following study can be used by planning and designing engineers for deciding the dimension of hydraulic structures such as bridges, dams, canals, levees, and spillways etc. This study can be further extended into preparation of flood forecasting techniques and flood inundation maps for Narmada River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This case study presents quantitative data on the magnitude and variability of specific power and total energy expenditure over a period of 51 years for the monsoon-dominated Narmada River, which produced an impressive flood of the order of 69400 m3 s− 1 in 1970. Daily specific stream power (ω) for a gauging site located in the lower Narmada Basin was estimated by using daily discharge data available from 1949 to 1999, at-a-station hydraulic geometry equations and the relationship between discharge and water surface slope. The total amount of energy expended per unit area by all the monsoon flows was estimated by integrating the area under the ω-graph. The estimates of effective stream power were then checked against work thresholds. The analysis reveals high total energy expenditure within the monsoon season (43 to 380 MJ) as well as during large floods (40 to 145 MJ). Extraordinary floods have about 20–60% share in the total monsoon energy expenditure. In general, the daily ω was found to be above the threshold of pebble-movement for 80% of the time within the monsoon season, implying high competence of monsoon flows. The Miller–Magilligan threshold for major modification of channel or fluvial landscape (300 Wm− 2) was exceeded on 10 occasions within the gauge period. The main conclusion is that in spite of high total energy expenditure and occurrence of multiple threshold-crossing events, the main task of the Narmada River is to convey sediments supplied from upstream area. The channel morphology appears to be adjusted to catastrophic floods that occur at an interval of more than a century. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents a study of the water chemistry of the Narmada and Tapti River in India. According to the authors, the study reflects how rock weathering influences ions concentration in the river waters. The dominant ions in the Narmada River include bicarbonate, calcium, and magnesium while bicarbonate, sodium, and magnesium are the dominant ions in the Tapti River. Moreover, the authors conclude that the two rivers are marginally acidic to marginally alkaline and propose the weathering rates of silicate and carbonate in the basins of the two rivers.

Narmada is considered to be the lifeline of the state of Madhya Pradesh in Central India. The Narmada water is used for bathing, drinking, irrigation and industrial purposes. The city sewage and industrial effluent from Security paper mill at Hoshangabad drains in the Narmada River and pollutes the water quality. Urban sewage enters into Narmada through main nallas. River water quality at Hoshangabad has become a matter of concern due to continuous changing environment and increasing social and industrial activity that influence the water quality directly or indirectly. The present investigation is undertaken to study the effect of domestic sewage and effluent from Security paper Mill on the water quality and ecology of river Narmada at Hoshangabad. The study is carried on at four sites along with the bank of river Narmada. Water samples from four stations were collected, out of which three main sewage mixing points of the city and one fresh water site are taken into account. The samples collected were analyzed, as per standard methods parameters such as Temperature, pH, were measured in-situ. The statistical evaluations were also made. The result showed increase in BOD, Nitrates, Phosphates and Total Coliforms, No. of phytoplanktons. The results revealed that most of the water samples were below or out of limited; according to the WHO, BIS standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rivers are an integral part of the hydrologic cycle and are the major geologic agents which erode the continents and transport water and sediments to the oceans. Thus rivers constitute an important link between continents and oceans. A number of natural and anthropogenic factors influence the water and suspended sediment flux of a river basin along its pathway. Some important key factors are: area of drainage basin, relief, geology of basin, climate including rainfall and its intensity, run-off, vegetation, tectonics, land-use patterns and presence of reservoirs/dams. Any or all of these factors can be important in a particular river system. We recognize three key factors that influence water and suspended sediment load of the Narmada river, namely basin geology, rainfall and presence of reservoirs/dams. In the present study, water flow and suspended sediment load data in the Narmada river have been assessed based on 20 years of monitoring at various gauging stations. Most of the water flow in the river is during the monsoon season, except in some tributaries, where groundwater flow to the river during non-monsoon is significant. The suspended sediment flux is significantly lowered by the construction of dams and reservoirs along the river course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Narmada River flows through the Deccan volcanics and transports water and sediments to the adjacent Arabian Sea. In a first-ever attempt, spatial and temporal (annual, seasonal, monthly and daily) variations in water discharge and sediment loads of Narmada River and its tributaries and the probable causes for these variations are discussed. The study has been carried out with data from twenty-two years of daily water discharge at nineteen locations and sediment concentrations data at fourteen locations in the entire Narmada River Basin. Water flow in the river is a major factor influencing sediment loads in the river. The monsoon season, which accounts for 85 to 95% of total annual rainfall in the basin, is the main source of water flow in the river. Almost 85 to 98% of annual sediment loads in the river are transported during the monsoon season (June to November). The average annual sediment flux to the Arabian Sea at Garudeshwar (farthest downstream location) is 34.29×106 t year−1 with a water discharge of 23.57 km3 year−1. These numbers are the latest and revised estimates for Narmada River. Water flow in the river is influenced by rainfall, catchment area and groundwater inputs, whereas rainfall intensity, geology/soil characteristics of the catchment area and presence of reservoirs/dams play a major role in sediment discharge. The largest dam in the basin, namely Sardar Sarovar Dam, traps almost 60–80% of sediments carried by the river before it reaches the Arabian Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the conflict surrounding the construction of mega-dams along the Narmada river valley in central India. In particular, the paper examines various repertoires of resistance employed by the Narmada Bachao Andolan (save the Narmada movement, NBA) the principal protagonist resisting the Narmada valley development project. Various spaces of economic, cultural, ecological, and political erasure are engendered by the construction of the Narmada dams, and the NBA articulates resistance, and engages in constructive development alternatives, in each of these spaces. The discursive articulations of resistance provide a crucial counterpoint to material expressions of struggle. Discursive resistance takes the form of academic analyses, peasant testimonials and slogans. Utilising Warren’s concept of testimonios, the paper argues that movement identity articulates a unity that effaces internal difference, contradiction and ambiguity. The paper concludes with some thoughts on the role of academics in highlighting such ambiguities, in the context of collaboration with social movements. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]