Mandakini River

There are two Mandakini rivers in India. One flows in Uttarakhand and is a tributary of Alkananda. The other Mandakini river starts in Madhya Pradesh and joins River Yamuna in Uttar Pradesh.

Mandakini river in Uttarakhand

The Mandakini river is a tributary of Alaknanda river. Alaknanda is one of the two main streams of the Ganges River. Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers join to form the Ganges in Devprayag.

About Mandakini river in Uttarakhand

• The Mandakini river that runs in the state of Uttarakhand is 81 kilometres long. It flows between Rudraprayag and Sonprayag. It emerges from Chorabari glacier.
• The Mandakini river merges with Songanga river at Sonprayag.
• It is considered sacred as the river passed through Kedarnath and Madhyamaheshwar temples.

2013 Kedarnath flash floods

The Mandakini river is subjected to heavy rainfall during monsoon. Annual rainfall in the region of Mandakini river is 1000 mm to 2000mm. In 2013, one of such heavy rainfall led to the collapse of the dammed Chorabari lake. This led to historic devastation submerging rural villages and killed thousands of people. This incident is referred to 2013 Kedarnath flash floods.

Source: Chorabari glacier

The Chorabari glacier is the single source of Mandakini river. It is a medium sized valley type glacier. It covers 6.6 square kilometres. The glacier is located between Kedarnath summit and the Kedarnath town. Between 1962 and 2014, around 1% of the glacier was lost. This led to the steady increase of water levels in the Madakini river.

Mandakini river in Madhya Pradesh

• One of the tributaries of Yamuna River is also called Mandakini river. This Mandakini river flows in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. It starts in Satna district of Uttar Pradesh. It joins River Yamuna in Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh.
• Mandakini river is the lifeline of Chitrakoot. Chitrakoot is a religious site and is associated with Ramayana. Lately, religious tourism has been growing in the city. This led to the illegal construction of hotels in the catchment of the river. In 2014, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned construction within 100 metres of river. In August 2021, the NGT ordered to demarcate the regions where the hotels are constructed illegally. However, the illegal encroachments continue.
• The Mandakini river is highly polluted. In 2021, around 5 million litres of sewage was dumped into the river per day. The projects of sewage treatment plants are not functional. The pollution of the river has increased with growing tourism in the region.
• In 2020, the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti listed Mandakini as one of the most polluted rivers of Madhya Pradesh.