Ghaghra also called Karnali is a perennial trans-boundary river originating on the Tibetan Plateau near Lake Manasarovar. It cuts through the Himalayas in Nepal and joins the Sharda River at Brahmaghat in India. Together they form the Ghaghara River, a major left bank tributary of the Ganges. With a length of 507 kilometres (315 mi) it is the longest river in Nepal. The total length of Ghaghara River up to its confluence with the Ganges at Revelganj in Bihar is 1,080 kilometres (670 mi). It is the largest tributary of the Ganges by volume and the second longest tributary of the Ganges by length after Yamuna.
Lower Ghaghara is also known as Sarayu river and finds mention in Ramayana. Ayodhya is situated on its right bank.
Length 1,080 km (671 mi)
Source Mapchachungo Glacier
Countries China, Nepal, India
Basin
The Karnali River Basin lies between the mountain ranges of Dhaulagiri in Nepal and Nanda Devi in Uttarakhand. Dhaulagiri II, elevation 7,751 metres (25,430 ft), is the highest point of the entire basin. In the north, it lies in the rain shadow of the Himalayas. The basin formed by the river has a total catchment area of 127,950 square kilometres (49,400 sq mi), of which 45 percent is in India. The population of the Basin districts in Nepal increased from 1.9 million in 1971 to 4.7 million people in 2001, almost a 250% increase over three decades. The average population density of the Basin area increased from 53 persons/km2 in 1981 to 87 persons/km2 in 2001. There is a steady growth in the economically active population in the basin districts. The average literacy rate has increased from a mere 7.5% in 1971 to 45% in 2001. The social status of the permanent households increased from 24% in 1991 to 31% in 2001. The basin has a total road length of 2,640 kilometres (1,640 mi), but the pace of road development is slow.
National parks
The Karnali Basin hosts some of Nepal's famous national parks. The protected area constitutes nearly 14% of the total basin area, including four national parks, one wildlife reserve, one hunting reserve and two buffer zones. The basin and its influence area constitute 27% of the total protected area, 63% of national park, 25% of the buffer zone and 31% of wildlife reserve. The significance of some of the protected areas is summarised below:
Shey Phoksundo National Park in Dolpa District, established in 1984, is situated in the trans-Himalayan region of northwestern Nepal and represents the Tibetan Plateau ecosystem. The park, covering an area of 3,555 km2 (1,373 sq mi), contains luxuriant forests mainly composed of blue pine, spruce, cypress, poplar, fir and birch. It is habitat for the endangered snow leopard, the blue sheep and many species of birds such as Himalayan monal, blood pheasant, cheer pheasant and snow partridge. It is a religious Buddhist site.
Rara National Park is located in Mugu District with a small area in Jumla District in the mountain region of northwestern Nepal and is the smallest park with a size of 106 km2 (41 sq mi). It includes Rara Lake, spread over 10.8 km2 (4.2 sq mi), the biggest lake in Nepal, at an elevation of 2,990 m (9,810 ft). The oval lake has a maximum length of 5 km (3.1 mi) and a width of 3 km (1.9 mi). The vegetation of the park consists of coniferous trees such blue pine, rhododendrons, black juniper, west Himalayan spruce, oak and Himalayan cypress. The fauna includes musk deer, Himalayan black bear, leopard, goral, jackal, Himalayan tahr, yellow-throated marten, dhole, wild boar, gray langur, rhesus macaque and otter. Common bird species include migrant waterfowl, coot, great-crested and black-necked grebes, red-crested pochard, mallard, common teal, common merganser, Himalayan snowcock and chukar partridge.
Bardia National Park is the largest and most undisturbed protected area in the Terai region of the Nepal Himalayas, covering 968 km2 (374 sq mi) on the southern slopes of the Sivalik Hills. It is bordered in the south by the Babai River, and to the west by the Girwa River, a tributary of the Karnali. At Chisapani Gorge, the swift-flowing Karnali River emerges from the Shiwalik Range onto the broad plain and flows purposefully through the semi-tropical jungle. The park is famous for two herds of wild Asian elephants, a great number of deer species, gaur, nilgai, Himalayan tahr, serow and goral. The Karnali supports the endangered mugger crocodile, the fish-eating gharial, a few remaining specimen of Gangetic dolphin and the golden mahseer; the latter weigh up to 41 kilograms (90 lb).
Other protected areas include Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve and, as the river crosses the Nepal–India border, the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, a part of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh India.
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