Mayurakshi River
Encyclopedia
Mayurakshi River is a major river in West Bengal
, India
, with a long history of devastating floods.
It has its source on Trikut hill, about 16 km from Deoghar
in Jharkhand
state. It flows through Jharkhand and then through the districts of Birbhum
and Murshidabad
in West Bengal before flowing into the Hooghly River. The river is about 250 km long.
Mayurakshi literally means the eye of a peacock (mayur/mor=peacock, akshi=eye). Mayurakshi though named after its crystal clear water of the dry seasons, floods its valley during the monsoons. Even after the construction of the Massanjore dam, it wreaks havoc with its floods, washing away embankments.
and flow down into West Bengal are rain fed and have for ages wrought havoc with their seasonal floods. This includes the Mayurakshi. Annual rainfall over the basin varies between 765 and 1607 mm with an average of 1200 mm of which 80% occurs during the monsoon season from June to September.
Some of the historically important floods in this river were recorded by L.S.S. O'Malley in the Bengal District Gazetteers for the districts of Murshidabad and Birbhum. For the district of Birbhum, O'Malley has noted “in 1787 there was a high flood which it is said, in some places swept off villages, inhabitants and cattle, the crops on the ground, with everything that was moveable.” O'Malley also recorded that “in 1806 the Mayurakshi and Ajay had a sudden extraordinary rise and floods washed away whole villages.” In September 1902, because of heavy rains the Brahmani and the Mayurakshi overflowed their banks and inundated the surrounding country in some places to the depth of 12 to 20 ft (6.1 m)
fund created through supplies of wheat and other materials from Canada for use in India, Canada devoted those rupees to the further development of the Mayurakshi dam project. The Massanjore dam (also called Canada Dam), across the Mayurakshi, was commissioned in 1955. It was formally inaugurated by Lester B. Pearson, Foreign Minister of Canada. Unfortunately, the Massanjore dam located near Dumka
in the state of Jharkhand (erstwhile Bihar) was not allowed to have any flood reserve. Simultaneously with construction of dams the state government in 1956, selectively took over flood control embankments till then maintained by the landlords or local bodies. Massanjore dam is about 65 km upstream from Siuri
in West Bengal. It is 155 feet (47.2 m) high from its base and is 2170 feet (661.4 m) long. The reservoir has an area of 16,650 acres (67.4 km²) when full and has a storage capacity of 500000 acre.ft. It had cost Rs. 16.10 crore.
See also –
, a larger part of Murshidabad district
and northern areas of North 24 Parganas district
were flooded and remained underwater for a long period of time. Construction of embankments is the only structural measure available for the provision of relief to the people. Major embankments line long stretches of such rivers as Mayurakshi, Dwarka, Brahmani and Ajay
and Kopai
.
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, with a long history of devastating floods.
It has its source on Trikut hill, about 16 km from Deoghar
Deoghar
Deoghar is the headquarters city of Deoghar District in the Santhal Parganas division of the state of Jharkhand, India. It is an important Hindu pilgrimage centre, having in Baidyanath Temple one of the twelve Shiva Jyothirlingams in India and also one of the 51 Shakti Peethas in India.-Origin of...
in Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
state. It flows through Jharkhand and then through the districts of Birbhum
Birbhum District
Birbhum district is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the northernmost district of Burdwan division—one of the three administrative divisions of West Bengal. The district headquarters is located at Suri...
and Murshidabad
Murshidabad district
Murshidabad district is a district of West Bengal in eastern India. Situated on the left bank of the river Ganges, the district is very fertile. Covering an area of 5,341 km² and having a population 5.863m it is a densely populated district and the ninth most populous in India...
in West Bengal before flowing into the Hooghly River. The river is about 250 km long.
Mayurakshi literally means the eye of a peacock (mayur/mor=peacock, akshi=eye). Mayurakshi though named after its crystal clear water of the dry seasons, floods its valley during the monsoons. Even after the construction of the Massanjore dam, it wreaks havoc with its floods, washing away embankments.
Floods and their control
Many of the rivers that originate on the Chota Nagpur PlateauChota Nagpur Plateau
The Chota Nagpur Plateau is a plateau in eastern India, which covers much of Jharkhand state as well as adjacent parts of Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar and Chhattisgarh. The Indo-Gangetic plain lies to the north and east of the plateau, and the basin of the Mahanadi River lies to the south...
and flow down into West Bengal are rain fed and have for ages wrought havoc with their seasonal floods. This includes the Mayurakshi. Annual rainfall over the basin varies between 765 and 1607 mm with an average of 1200 mm of which 80% occurs during the monsoon season from June to September.
Some of the historically important floods in this river were recorded by L.S.S. O'Malley in the Bengal District Gazetteers for the districts of Murshidabad and Birbhum. For the district of Birbhum, O'Malley has noted “in 1787 there was a high flood which it is said, in some places swept off villages, inhabitants and cattle, the crops on the ground, with everything that was moveable.” O'Malley also recorded that “in 1806 the Mayurakshi and Ajay had a sudden extraordinary rise and floods washed away whole villages.” In September 1902, because of heavy rains the Brahmani and the Mayurakshi overflowed their banks and inundated the surrounding country in some places to the depth of 12 to 20 ft (6.1 m)
Massanjore Dam
From the counterpart rupeeRupee
The rupee is the common name for the monetary unit of account in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives, and formerly in Burma, and Afghanistan. Historically, the first currency called "rupee" was introduced in the 16th century...
fund created through supplies of wheat and other materials from Canada for use in India, Canada devoted those rupees to the further development of the Mayurakshi dam project. The Massanjore dam (also called Canada Dam), across the Mayurakshi, was commissioned in 1955. It was formally inaugurated by Lester B. Pearson, Foreign Minister of Canada. Unfortunately, the Massanjore dam located near Dumka
Dumka
Dumka, headquarters of Dumka district, is a city and municipality in the state of Jharkhand, India. It was made the headquarters of the Santhal Pargana region which was carved out of Bhagalpur and Suri districts after The Great Santal Hul 1855. Presently, it is the commissionary headquarter of...
in the state of Jharkhand (erstwhile Bihar) was not allowed to have any flood reserve. Simultaneously with construction of dams the state government in 1956, selectively took over flood control embankments till then maintained by the landlords or local bodies. Massanjore dam is about 65 km upstream from Siuri
Suri (Birbhum)
Suri, , , is the headquarters of Birbhum district in the Indian state of West Bengal, India.Suri is located at . It has an average elevation of 56 metres . Tilpara barrage on Mayurakshi river is located 3 km north-east of Siuri.-Economics:The chief industries of Suri include rice milling,...
in West Bengal. It is 155 feet (47.2 m) high from its base and is 2170 feet (661.4 m) long. The reservoir has an area of 16,650 acres (67.4 km²) when full and has a storage capacity of 500000 acre.ft. It had cost Rs. 16.10 crore.
See also –
Tilpara Barrage
Apart from the Massanjore Dam there is a barrage, some 32 km downstream, at Tilpara, near Siuri. The barrage is 1013 feet (308.8 m) long and had cost Rs. 1.11 crore.Floods since then
In the four decades between 1960 and 2000 only five years could be identified as flood free years, when only less than 500 km² of area were inundated. After major floods in 1978, West Bengal suffered consecutively in 1998, 1999 and 2000. In 1978, seventy two hours of continuous and concentrated rainfall over the western river basin areas of the Bhagirathi viz. from the Pagla-Bansloi to the Ajay, generated so huge flood volume that all embankments on the eastern side of the Bhagirathi were almost washed away and the whole of Nadia districtNadia District
Nadia district is a district of the state of West Bengal, in the north east of India. It borders with Bangladesh to the east, North 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts to the south, Bardhaman district to the west, and Murshidabad district to the north....
, a larger part of Murshidabad district
Murshidabad district
Murshidabad district is a district of West Bengal in eastern India. Situated on the left bank of the river Ganges, the district is very fertile. Covering an area of 5,341 km² and having a population 5.863m it is a densely populated district and the ninth most populous in India...
and northern areas of North 24 Parganas district
North 24 Parganas district
North 24 Parganas district is a district in southern West Bengal, of eastern India. North 24 Parganas extends in the [tropical zone] from latitude 22º11'6" north to 23º15'2" north and from longitude 88º20' east to 89º5' east...
were flooded and remained underwater for a long period of time. Construction of embankments is the only structural measure available for the provision of relief to the people. Major embankments line long stretches of such rivers as Mayurakshi, Dwarka, Brahmani and Ajay
Irrigation and power
Massanjore dam has ensured irrigation of some 600,000 acres (2,400 km²) of land with an estimated resultant increased yield of approximately 400,000 tons of food annually and generation of 2,000 kW of electric power.Tributaries
The Mayurakshi is fed by tributaries Brahmani, Dwaraka, BakreshwarBakreshwar River
The Bakreshwar River is a tributary of the Mayurakshi River. It originates in Santhal Parganas division of Jharkhand. It then flows through Birbhum district and meets the Kopai River...
and Kopai
Kopai River
The Kopai River is a tributary of the Mayurakshi River. It flows past such towns as Santiniketan, Bolpur, Kankalitala and Labhpur in Birbhum district in the Indian state of West Bengal...
.
External links
- Tilpara satellite view – Mayurakshi river is against the blue arrow - by moving the map, almost the entire course of the river can be traced.