Lakes and Rivers

• Lake Baikal (Russia) is the deepest lake of the world.One of the biggest and most ancient lakes of world is situated nearly in the center of Asia in a huge stone bowl set 445 m above sea level. Everyone who has been to its shores is impressed and charmed by the grandeur, size, and unusual might of this Siberian miracle of nature. Other important lakes in Russia are Lake Onega and Lake Ladoga.
• Lake Eyre is a important lake of Australia.
• Lake Onakal (Uganda) and Lake Aswan (Egypt) are man made lakes.
• Lake Tso Sekuru located on the Tibetan Plateau is the highest lake of the world.
• Lake Titicaca, located at the boundary of Bolivia and Peru is the highest navigable lake of the world.
  The highest lake in India is Devtal, located at a height of 17,745 ft in the Garhwal Himalayas.
• Dead Sea is the lowest lake of the world, its base is located 2500 ft below the sea level.
• Lake Van (Turkey) is the most saline lake of the world, with salinity of330%. It is followed by Dead Sea (238%) Jordan, and Great Salt Lake (220% salinity) USA.
• Caspian Sea is the largest lake of the world. It is a salt water lake. Ural and Volga rivers drain into it from the north, therefore its northern part is less saline.
• Lake Victoria, forms the border between Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.
• Lake Nyasa or Lake. Malawi forms the border of Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique.
• Lake Tanganyika forms the border of Zaire. Tanzania and Zambia.
• Lake Superior is the largest fresh water lake of the world.
• The nuclear test range of China is located near the lake Lop Nor.
• Lake Chad forms the border of Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Camroon.
• Lake Great Bear it is famous as Port Radium.
• Lake Athabasca famous as Uranium City.
• LakeVolta in Ghana is a largest man made lake.
• Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela is famous for oil reserves.
• Wular Lake: Wular Lake is one of the largest fresh water lakes in Asia and the largest in India, is located in Jammu and Kashmir. It is measures 24 kms across and surrounded by towering mountains, The green water of the Wular Lake is an important natural habitat for fish, a rich population of birds and wildlife. Thousands of people living on its shores and elsewhere in the Kashmir valley depend on Wular Lake for fishing to earn their livelihood.
• Dal Lake: The Kashmir valley is blessed with exotic natural beauty of landscape and water bodies, out of them one of the best is Dal Lake. Dal Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes of India and is the second largest in the J&K valley. This is one of the most famous lakes in India and an icon of the Kashmir tourism industry. Apart from the natural beauty, Dal Lake attractions are The floating gardens, colorful shikaras and houseboats. The east of Dal Lake was the residence of goddess Maa Durga. The Dal lake is situated in the beautiful city of Srinaga,Some of the most famous mosques are also located in Srinagar city to visit.
• Loktak Lake: Loktak Lake is the largest freshwater lake in northeastern India, located in Manipur. It is also called the only floating lake in the world due to the floating phumdis. This ancient lake plays an important role in the economy of Manipur. It serves as a source of water for hydro power generation, irrigation drinking water supply and wildlife. The Keibul Lamjao National Park, which is the last natural refuge of the endangered sangai now found only in manipur.
• Chilka Lake: Chilka Lake is the brackish water lake and is the largest coastal lake in India. The Chilka Lake in situated in Orissa and is Asia’s largest inland salt-water lagoon. Brackish water is water that has more salinity than fresh water, but not as much as seawater. Chilika Lake, popularly known as Chilka, is the queen of natural scenery in the tribal state Orissa, also known as the Swiss-lake in the continent. Attraction of chilika lake are fishing boats, migratory birds and an entertaining baba. The beautiful chilka lake is paradise for the migratory birds.
• Pulicat lake: It is a saline backwater lake lying along the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh coast; part extending to Chengalpattu district of Tamil Nadu. It has an area of 481 sq.KM and it is the 2nd largest brackish water lagoon in India after Chilka lake in Orissa.

Rivers

• The Ganga : The source of Ganga is at Gaumukh (the shape of the ice formation is like a cow's mouth), where the mighty river emerges from the depths of Gangotri glacier. The Gangotri glacier is situated at the height of4255 m above sea level and is approximate 24 km in length and 7-8 km in width. Here the river is known as Bhagirathi after King -Bhagirath. Rising in the icy caves of Gangotri glacier, the gushing , tossing and gurgling Bhagirathi starts its long journey downwards where later it joins river 'Alaknanda' and becomes Ganga. There are many legends associated with river Ganga, some of which are even mentioned in the ancient holy scriptures.
• The Godavari : It is the only river in India that flows from western to southern India and is considered to be one of the big river basins in India. With a length of 1465 km, it is the second longest river in India after the Ganges river. .It is also known as "Dakshin ganga (Southern Ganges)" or "Budi Ganga". Godavari originates near Trimbak in Nashik District of Maharashtra state and flows east across the Deccan Plateau into the Bay of Bengal near Narasapuram in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.
• The Kavery : The origin of this river is traditionally placed at Talakaveri, Kodagu in the Western Ghats in Karnataka, flows generally south and east through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and across the southern Deccan plateau through the southeastern lowlands, emptying into the Bay of Bengal through two principal mouths. The Kaveri basin is estimated to be 27,700 square miles (72,000 km2)
• Krishna River starts its journey in the Western Ghats at an altitude of about 1300 metres above sea level in Mahabaleshwar. The river passes through Sangli District and enters the sea in the Bay of Bengal at Hamasaledevi in Andra Pradesh. It passes through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andra Pradesh.
• Narmada River : This river rises on the summit of Amarkantak Hill in Madhya Pradesh state .It traverses the first 320 kilometres course around the Mandla Hills, which form the head of the Satpura Range; then moves towards Jabalpur passing through the `Marble Rocks`, it enters the Narmada Valley between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges, and moves westwards towards the Gulf of Cambay. It flows through the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, and finally meets the Arabian Sea in the Bharuch District of Gujarat. Narmada River flows through the states of Madhya Pradesh 1,077 km (669.2 miles), Maharashtra, 74 km (46.0 miles)), 35 km (21.7 miles) border between Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra and 39 km (24.2 miles) border between Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat and in Gujarat 161 km (100.0 miles)).
• The river Brahmaputra is one of the major river in the world. It originates from Mansarovar near Mount Kailash in the Himalayas, flows via Tibbet, China, India and Bangladesh to Bay of bangal. The total length it travels from Himalayans to the Bay is 2900 Km. In Tibbet the river is known as 'Tsangpo'. It follows the great Himalayans in its course till India with an avergae height of 4000 meters. It enters India in Arunachal Pradesh where it is called 'Siang'. It then flows down to the plains of Assam, where it is called Dibang. It joins with other two giant rivers, Dibang and Lohit.
• The Mahanadi River rises in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh and then flows in the eastward direction, cutting a ravine in the Eastern Ghat. Before joining the Bay of Bengal at False Point through several channels, the river enters the plains of Orissa near Cuttack and forms a delta. This delta is one of the largest mangrove forests in peninsular India, and also a rice producing area. The term `Mahanadi` means Great River and it is truly one of the largest rivers in southeast India and the sixth largest in India. The Tel and the Hadso are the main tributaries of the Mahanadi. Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa share are drained by the Mahanadi.
• Tapti is a river of western India and the history of this river starts with its origin in the Betul district. It rises in Betul district of Madhya Pradesh and flows between two spurs of the Satpura Hills, across the plateau of Khandesh, and thence through the plain of Surat to the sea. It has a total length of around 724 km. and drains an area of 30,000 sq. m. For the last 32 m. of its course, it is a tidal flow, but is only navigable by vessels of small tonnage; and the port of Swally at its mouth. The history of this river is closely associated with the Anglo Portuguese history. The upper reaches of the river are now deserted, owing to silting at the outflow of the river. The waters of the Tapti are usually not used for irrigation.
• Yamuna River : The main stream of the river Yamuna originated from the Yamunotri glacier near Bandar Punch in the Mussorie range of lower Himalayas in the district of Uttar Kashi in Uttarakhand. Some say the source of the river is the Saptarishi Kund, a glacial lake. There is a sacred shrine of Yamunotri or Yamnotri, near this source at an altitude of 3235 m. The Tons and Giri rivers are the important tributaries of Yamuna and principal source of water in mountaineous range. The river Yamuna traverse a route length of about 1200 km in the plain from Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh to the confluence with river Ganga at Allahabad.
• Nile River (4,132 miles 6,650 km.) : The Nile River is the longest river in the world. It has its origins in Burundi, south of the Equator, and flows northward through north eastern Africa, eventually flowing through Egypt and finally draining into the Mediterranean Sea. Three principal streams form the Nile. In Ethiopia's highlands, water flows from the Blue Nile and the Atbara. Headstreams of the White Nile flow into Lake Victoria and Lake Albert. The Nile River basin is immense and occupies an area about one-tenth of the continent of Africa. It includes portions of Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Zaire, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, The Sudan, and Egypt. It is estimated to drain an area of 1,293,000 square miles (3,349,000 sq. km.)
• Amazon : The length of the Amazon River is approximately 6400 kilometres (4000 miles). The Amazon River is located in South America. It runs through Guyana, Ecuador, Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Peru.
• Mississippi-Missouri River : The Mississippi is the world's fourth-longest river at 3,870 miles, including the Missouri River. It flows from its source, at Lake Itasca, in Minnesota, to the Gulf of Mexico. It is the longest river in the United States. This river forms the Bird-foot Delta.
• Rio-Grande : This river forms the border between the USA and the Mexico.
• St Lawrence River : This river forms the biggest inland waterway of the world. Niagara Fall is located on this river.
• Colorado River : World famous Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam are located on this river. Rhine River. This river forms the busiest waterway in Europe. This river is also called 'Coal River'. The busiest port of the Europe, Rotterdam, is situated on the mouth of this river.
• Danube River : This river, originating from the Black Forest Mountains of Germany and flowing through the capitals of five European nations - Belgrade (Yugoslavia), Bratislava (Slovania), Bucharest (Romania), Budapest (Hungary) and Vienna (Austria) - falls into the Black Sea.
• Volga River : This is the longest river of Europe. It originates from the Voldai Hills and drains into the Caspian Sea.
• Niger River : The river Niger, draining into the Gulf of Guinea, is also known as the 'Oil River'.
• Zambezi River : Victoria Fall and Kariba dam are located on this river.
• Congo/Zaire River : This river intersects the Equator twice. Stanley and Livingston Falls are located on this river.
• Amur River : This river forms the border of Russia and China.
• Mekong River : This is the longest river of South-East Asia.
• Murray-Darling River : This river originates from the Mt Kosciusko and is the largest river of Australia.
• R. Limppo : This river which originates from the high velds of South Africa, cuts across the tropic of Capricorn twice.
• R. Mahe : This river of India cuts across the tropic of Cancer twice.
• Seine River: The Seine is a 776 km (482 mi)-long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Source-Seine, 30 kilometres northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre.
• Tigris River: River that was a boundary of Mesopotamia, or the "land between the rivers" (Tigris and Euphrates) The Tigris was the eastern of the two rivers and flowed from a source deep in the Armenian mountains all the way to the Persian Gulf, about 1,200 miles. Both rivers were the lifeblood of Mesopotamian civilizations, giving them water and a vehicle for their trade and defense.
• Euphrates River: River that was a boundary of Mesopotamia, or the "land between the rivers" (Tigris and Euphrates) The Euphrates was the western of the two rivers and flowed from a source deep in the Armenian mountains all the way to the Persian Gulf, almost 1,800 miles. Both rivers served as means of defense and trade for every civilization in this area.
• The Huang Ho River: The Huang Ho is the world's sixth-longest river at 3,395 miles. Its source is the Kunlun Mountains, in western China. Its mouth is the Gulf of Bohai. The river is called the Yellow River, named for the color of the silts that are carried downstream in its flow. The earliest civilization in China settled on the banks of the Huang Ho. Ever since, the river has been a source of life and death. The river has flooded so often that is has become known as the River of Sorrow. Possibly the worst flood in written history occurred in 1931. Between July and November of that year, the river overflowed its banks, flooding about 34,000 square miles of land completely and about 8,000 square miles partially. Entire villages and huge amounts of agriculture and farmland were washed away. About 80 million people were left homeless. Nearly 1 million people died in the flood itself and in the famines and epidemics that resulted from the flooding.
• Rhine River: The Rhine River is 1,230 kilometres (760 mi) long. It is one of the longest rivers in Europe. The Rhine is an important waterway. Many goods are transported over the Rhine, and the Rhine valley is also an important wine producing region. The river Rhine begins at Tomasee, a lake in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland, and runs through Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands. It is also the border between Switzerland and Liechtenstein and also the border between Germany and France.
• Irrawaddy River: Irrawaddy River, Burmese Ayeyarwady, principal river of Myanmar (formerly Burma), running through the centre of the country. Myanmar’s most important commercial waterway, it is about 1,350 miles (2,170 km) long. The river flows wholly within the territory of Myanmar. Its total drainage area is about 158,700 square miles (411,000 square km). Its valley forms the historical, cultural, and economic heartland of Myanmar.

INDIAN IRRIGATION

Water is very important for survival of all forms of life- plant as well as animal. India, by virtue of its peculiar placement in the foothills of the Himalayas and the Deccan Plateau running through it, has vast water resources which have been very meagrely tapped. Conventional and recognised means of irrigation are tanks, wells and canals.
Wells: Well irrigation is an important type of irrigation in India. Wells are particularly suitable for small farms. The important well-irrigated States are Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. In these States water-table is high, soil is soft and, therefore, wells are easily sunk.
Tubewells are an important development in India. They are worked by electricity or diesel oil and thus, they relieve our cattle of much of the strain. They are being quickly developed in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana and Punjab. This is because these have ample sub-soil water.
Wells and tubewells account for about 48 percent of the total irrigation in India.
Tanks: Tanks are also an important and ancient source of irrigation. They are of considerable importance in central and southern India, specially in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. About 8 percent of the total irrigated area is irrigated by tanks.
Canals: Canals are the most important means of irrigation in the country. Some canals were constructed by the early Hindu and Mohammedan kings. Most of the canals, however, are the product of the British rule. At present, canals irrigate about 39 percent of total irrigated area of India. Most of the canals of the country are found in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. Storage canals have been constructed in Deccan and Madhya Pradesh.
Major , Medium and Minor Irrigation Projects: The methods of irrigation used in India can be broadly classified into major, medium and minor irrigation schemes. Irrigation projects having Culturable Command Area (CCA) of more than 10,000 hectares each are classified as major projects. Those having a CCA between 2,000 hectares and 10,000 hectares fall under the category of medium irrigation projects. And the projects which have a CCA of less than 2,000 hectares are classified as minor irrigation schemes. For the purpose of analysis the major and the medium irrigation projects are generally grouped together. These projects comprise a network of dams, bunds, canals and other such schemes. Such projects require substantial financial outlay and are, therefore, constructed by the government or any other agency which may draw financial assistance form the government and financial institutions.
The minor irrigation projects, on the other hand, comprise all ground water development schemes such as dug wells, private shallow tubewells, deep public tubewells, and boring and deepening of dugewells, and small surface water development works such as storage tanks, lift irrigation projects, etc. Minor irrigation projects or the groundwater development schemes are essentially people's programmes implemented primarily through individual and cooperative efforts with finances obtained mainly through institutional sources.

IRRIGATION DEVELOPMENT

Creation for irrigation potential of 10 million hectares was targeted under Bharat Nirman during 2005-06 to 2008-09. The target was proposed to be met through completion of on-going major and medium irrigation projects, and extension, renovation and modernization of existing projects. As per information provided by State Governments, the total irrigation potential created during the period is 7.31 million hectares against the target of 10 million hectares.

SOME IRRIGATION AND MULTIPURPOSE PROJECTS

Bargi Project (Madhya Pradesh): It is a multipurpose project consisting of a masonry dam across Bargi river in the Jabalpur district and a left bank canal.
Beas Project (Joint venture of Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan): It consists of Beas-Sutlej Link and Beas Dam at Pong.
Bhadra Project (Karnataka): A multipurpose project across the river Bhadra.
Bhakra Nangal Project (Joint project of Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan): India's biggest, multipurpose river valley project comprises a straight gravity dam across the Sutlej river at Bhakra, the Nangal dam, the Nangal hydel channel, two power houses at Bhakra dam and two power stations at Ganguwal and Kotla.
Bhima Project (Maharashtra): Comprises two dams, one on the Pawana river near Phagne in Pune district and the other across the Krishna river near Ujjaini in Sholapur district.
Chambal Project (Joint project of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan): The project comprises Gandhi Sagar dam, Rana Pratap Sagar dam and jawahar Sagar dam.
Damodar Valley Project (West Bengal and Bihar): A multipurpose project for the unified development of irrigation, flood control and power generation in West Bengal and Bihar. It comprises multipurpose dams at Konar, Tilaiya, Maithon and Pancher; hydel power stations at Tilaiya, Konar, Maithon and Panchet; barrage at Durgapur; and thermal power houses at Bokaro, Chandrapura and Durgapur. The project is administrated by the Damodar Valley Corporation.
Dulhasti Power Project (Jammu & Kashmir): It is a 390 MW power project in Kishtwar region of Jammu & Kashmir on Chenab river. Work for this project started in 1981. The foundation stone was laid on April 15, 1983 by the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. Work on this project was suspended due to threats of kidnapping and killings by Kashmiri militants resulting in long delay in completion of project.
Farakka Project (West Bengal): The project was taken up for the preservation and maintenance of Calcutta port and for improving the navigability of the Hoogly. It comprises a barrage at Jangipur across the Bhagirathi and a feeder channel taking off from the Ganga at Farakka and tailing into the Bhagirathi below the Jangipur barrage.
Gandak Project (Joint project of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh): Nepal also derives irrigation and power benefits form this project.
Ghataprabha Project (Karnataka): A project across Ghataprabha in Belgaum and Bijapur districts.
Hirakund (Odisha): World's longest dam, is located on the Mahanadi river.
Jayakwadi Project (Maharashtra): A masonry spillway across the river Godavari.
Kahalgaon Project (Bihar): The 840-MW Kahalgaon Super Thermal Power Project, a joint venture between National Thermal Power Corporation and the Russian State Enterprise Foreign Economic Association, was on August 12,1996 commissioned and put into commercial operation.
Kakrapara Project (Gujarat): On the Tapti river near Kakrapara, in Surat district.
Kangsabati Project (West Bengal): The project, put in operation in 1965, is located on the Kangsabati and Kumari rivers.
Karjan Project (Gujarat): A masonry dam across Karjan river near Jitgarh village in Nandoo Taluka of Bharuch district.
Kosi Project (Bihar): A multipurpose project, which serves Bihar and Nepal.
Koyna Project (Maharashtra): It is built on a tributary of river Krishna with a capacity of 880 MW. It feeds power to Mumbai-Pune industrial belt.
Krishna Project (Maharashtra): Dhom dam near Dhom village on Krishna and Kanhar dam near Kanhar village on Varna river in Satna district.
Kukadi Project (Maharashtra): Five independent storage dams, i.e. Yodgaon, Manikdohi, Dimbha, Wadaj and Pimpalgaon Jog. The canal system comprises (i) Kukadi left bank Canal, (ii) Dimbha left bank canal, (iii) Dimbha right bank canal, (iv) Meena feeder and (v) Meena branch.
Kundoh Project (Tamil Nadu): It is in Tamil Nadu whose initial capacity of 425 MW has since been expanded to 535 MW.
Let Bank Ghaghra Canal (Uttar Pradesh): A link channel taking off from the left bank of Ghaghra river of Girja barrage across Sarju.
Madhya Ganaga Canal (Uttar Pradesh): A barrage across Ganga in Bijnore district.
Mahanadi Delta Scheme (Odisha): The irrigation scheme will utilize releases from the Hirakud reservoir.
Mahanadi Reservoir Project (Madhya Pradesh): It has three phases: (1) Ravishankar Sagar Project and feeder canal system for supply of water of Bhilai Steel Plant and Sandur dam across Sandur village. (2) Extension of Mahanadi feeder canal. (3) Pairi dam.
Mahi Project (Gujarat): A two –phase project, one across the Mahi river near Wanakbori village and the other across Mahi river near Kadana.
Malaprabha Project (Karnataka): A dam across the Malaprabha in Belgaum district.
Mayurakshi Project (West Bengal): An irrigation and hydro-electric project comprise the Canada dam.
Minimato Bango Hasdeo Project (Madhya Pradesh): This project is locted at Hasdeo Bango river in Korba district and envisages construction of a masonry dam. A hydel power plant of 120 MW capacity has been commissioned on the Bango dam.
Nagarjunasagar (Andhra Pradesh): On the Krishna river near Nandikona village (about 44 km from Hyderabad).
Panam Project (Gujarat): A gravity masonry dam across Panam river near Keldezar village in Panchmahal district.
Parambikulam Aliyar (Joint venture of Tamil Nadu and Kerala): The integrated harnessing of eight rivers, six in the Annamalai Hills and two in the plains.
Pochampad (Andhra Pradesh): Across Godavari river.
Pong Dam (Punjab): It is an important hydro-electric project located on Beas river.
Rajasthan Canal (Indira Gandhi Canal- Rajasthan): The Project uses water released from Pong dam and provides irrigation facilities to the north-western region of Rajasthan, i.e., a part of the Thar desert. It consists of Rajasthan feeder canal (with the first 167 km in Punjab and Haryana and the remaining 37 km in Rajasthan) and 445 km Rajasthan main canal entirely in Rajasthan.
Rajghat Dam Project (Madhya Pradesh): The Rajghat Dam and Rajghat Hydro Electric Projects are Inter-State projects of MP and UP. The Rajghat Dam is almost complete. All the three units of Rajghat Hydro-Electric Project had been synchronized during 1999 and power generation has been continuing ever since.
Ramganga (Uttarakhand): A dam across Ramganga, a tributary of the Ganga river located in Garhwal district. The project has, besides reducing the intensity of floods in central and western Uttar Pradesh, provided water for the Delhi water supply scheme.
Ranjit Sagar Dam (Thein Dam) (Punjab): A multi-purpose highest dam in the country, built on the Ravi river for the benefit of Punjab, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir.
Rihand Project (Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh): It is the largest man-made lake in India on the borders of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh with a capacity of 300 MW annually.
Sabarmati (Gujarat): A storage dam across Sabarmati river near Dhari Village in Mehsana district and wasna barrage near Ahmedabad.
Salal Project (Jammu & Kashmir): With the successful completion of the 2.5-km long tailrace tunnel, the 690-MW Salal (Stage I and II ) project in Jammu and Kashmir became fully operational on August 6, 1996.
Sarda Sahayak (Uttar Pradesh): A barrage across the river Ghaghra, a link channel, a barrage across River Sarda and a feeder channel of two major aqueducts over rivers Gomti and Sai.
Sharavathi Project (Karnataka): It is located at the Jog Falls with a capacity of 891 MW. It primarily feeds Bengaluru industrial region and also Goa and Tamil Nadu.
Sone High Level Canal(Bihar): An extension on Sone Barrage project.
Tawa Project (Madhya Pradesh): A project across the Tawa river, a tributary of the Narmada in Hoshangabad district.
Tehri Dam Project (Uttarakhand): Earth and rock-fill dam on Bhagirathi river in Tehri district.
Tungabhadra Project (Joint Project of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka): On the Tungabhadra River.
Ukai Project (Gujarat): A multipurpose project across Tapti river near Ukai village.
Upper Krishna Project (Karnataka): A project consisting of Narayanpur dam across the Krishna river and a dam at Almatti.
Upper Penganga Project (Maharashtra): Two reservoirs on Penganga river at Isapur in Yavatmal district and the other on Rayadhu river at Sapli in Parbhani district.
Uri Power Project (Jammu & Kashmir): It is located on the river Jhelum in the Uri Tehsil of Baramulla district in Jammu & Kashmir. It is a 480-MW hydroelectric project which was dedicated to the nation of February 13, 1997.

Major Straits of the world

Name	Joins	Location
Malacca Strait	Andaman Sea & South China Sea	Indonesia - Malaysia
Palk Strait	Palk Bay & Bay of Bengal	India-Sri Lanka
Sunda Strait	Java Sea & Indian Ocean	Indonesia
Yucatan Strait	Gulf of Mexico and Carribbean Sea	Mexico-Cuba
Mesina Strait	Mediterranean Sea	Italy-Sicily
Otranto Strait	Adriatic Sea & Ionian Sea	Italy-Albania
Bab-el-Mandeb Strait	Red Sea & Gulf of Aden	Yemen-Djibouti
Cook Strait	South Pacific Ocean	New Zealand (N & S islands)
Mozambique Strait	Indian Ocean	Mozambique - Malagassy
North Channel	Irish Sea & Atlantic Ocean	Ireland-England
Taurus Strait	Arafura Sea & Gulf of Papua	Papua New Guinea - Australia
Bass strait	Tasman Sea & South Sea	Australia
Bering Strait	Bering Sea & Chuksi Sea	Alaska-Russia
Bonne-Fasio Strait	Mediterranean Sea	Corsika-Sardinia
Bosporous Strait	Black Sea and Marmara Sea	Turkey
Dardenleez Strait	Marmara Sea and Agean Sea	Turkey
Davis strait	Baffin Bay & Atlantic Ocean	Greenland-Canada
Denmark strait	North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean	Greenland-Iceland
Dover strait	English Channel & North Sea	England-France
Florida Strait	Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean	USA-Cuba
Hormuz strait	Gulf of Persia & Gulf of Oman	Oman-Iran
Hudson strait	Gulf of Hudson & Atlantic Ocean	Canada
Gibraltar Strait	Mediterranean Sea & Atlantic Ocean	Spain-Morocco
Magellan strait	Pacific and South Atlantic Ocean	Chile
Makkassar Strait	Java Sea & Celebeze Sea	Indonesia
Tsungaru Strait	Japan Sea and Pacific Ocean	Japan (Hokkaido-Honshu island)
Tatar Strait	Japan Sea & Okhotsk Sea	Russia (E Russia-Sakhalin Island)

Mountains and Plateau

Mountains are such highlands whose slopes are steep and the peaks are pointed. Generally, the mountains are more than 1000 mts high. The mountains whose height is less than 1000 mts, are called hills. The highest point of a mountain or a hill is called its peak. A mountain range is a system of mountains and hills having several ridges, peaks, summits and valleys, formed in a particular period and spread in a narrow belt.

Classification of Mountains

• Folded Mountains: These Mountains are the results of compressive forces, triggered by the endogenetic forces. When the rocks on (he surface of the earth are folded due to the forces generated within the earth, the resultant Himalaya Ural, Rockies, Andes, Atlas etc. examples of folded mountains.
• Block Mountains: These Mountains originate due to the forces of tension leading to the formation of rift valleys. These are also know as fault Block Mountains, as they are the result of faulting. Sierra Nevada mountain of California, USA, Vosages and Black Forest mountains of Europe.
• Accumulated Mountains: These mountain are formed due to accumulation of lava other ejected materials in the proccess of vulcanism. Fujiyama of Japan, Cotopaxi of Equador are its examples.
• Relict Mountains: When orginal mountains are eroded by the agents of gradation, they become relict mountains. Vindhyas, Aravallis, Satpura, Eastern Ghats, Western Ghats, Parasnath etc. are relict mountains.

Plateau

A plateau may be defined as that upland which has at least one side of very steep slope standing well above the neighbouring surface and whose upper part is extensive and almost flat.

Classification of Plateau

1. Intermontane Plateau: These Plateaus are surrounded by hills and mountains from all sides. For Example Tibetan plateau, Columbian plateau.
2. Piedmont Plateau: Which is surrounded by-mountain range on one side and by plain or ocean on the other side. For Example Appalachian Mountains (USA) and Patagonian plateau of South America.
3. Dome Shaped Plateau: These Plateaus are formed when the landmass is uplifted in such a manner that the middle portion is raised and the sides are rounded. Chhotanagpur plateau of Jharkhand, Ozark Plateau (USA).
4. Continental Plateau: These are very extensive Plateau and surrounded by oceanic coasts or plains. These are also called Shield. For Example Siberian shield.
5. Volcanic Plateau: These Plateau are formed due to accumulation of thick layers of bassltic laves. Deccan plateau of India and Columbian plateau of USA are the best example of this type.

Plateaus	Location
Anatolia	Turkey
Meseta	Iberian Peninsula
Chiyapas	S. Mexico
Alaska / Yukon	USA
Columbian	USA
Great Basin	USA
Colorado	USA

Ocean Currents

When ocean water moves in a fixed direction within a fixed limit (of area) with very high velocity, it is called current. The velocity of a current is more than that of drift. | Ocean currents can be divided into two type warm currents and cold currents. The currents flowing from the equator to the poles are warm and those flowing from poles to the equator are cold.
Due to Coriolis force, the Ocean currents in the Northern Hemisphere deflect towards their right and those in the Southern Hemisphere, towards their left. The only exception of this rule of the flow of ocean is found in the Indian Ocean, where the direction of current flow changes with the change in the direction monsoon wind flow.
Ocean currents influence the climate of bordering coastal regions. They affect temperature, humidity and precipitation.

Coral Reefs

Coral reefs are the regions of very high bio-diversity. These are formed due to accumulation and solidification of skeletons of lime secreting organism known as coral polyps. They are dominating rocks. Coral reefs are of three types :

1. Fringing Reef: Coral reefs developed along the coasts are called fringing reefs. Examples: Gulf of Mannar (india), Southern Florida (USA) etc.
2. Barrier Reef : The coral reefs qf the coastal platforms are called "barrier reefs". There is extensive but shallow lagoon between the coastal land and the reef. Great Barrier Reef, located parallel to the east coast of Australia, is the largest of all the barrier reefs of the world.
3. Coral Ring or Atoll : A ring of narrow growing corals of horse-shoe shape is called atoll. It is generally found around an island or in elliptical form on a submarine platform. Examples : Fiji Atoll, Funfutti Atoll etc.

Tides

Rise and fall of the ocean water level due to the gravitational forces of the Sun and the Moon are referred to as Tides. The waves generated by tide-are called Tidal Waves. The hight of the tides at different places varies a lot due to several factors such as - depth of water, the coastal features and openness or closeness of the sea. Though the Sun is far bigger than the moon yet, the gravitational force of the Moon is double than that of the sun. This is due to the fact that the Sun is at a greater distance than the Moon, from the Earth.
Every place, along the coast, experiences tide and ebbs twice in 24 hours. When the Sun, the Earth and the Moon are aligned in a straight line this position is referred to as SYZYGY. The combined forces of the Sun and the Moon result into High or Spring Tides. High tides are experienced on the full moon and the new moon.
Unlike this, when the Sun, the Earth and the Moon are aligned in a right angle position, the gravitational forces of the Sun and the Moon work against each other, when Neap or Low Tides are experienced. The part of the Earth facing the Moon , experiences a tide due to the gravitational pull of the Moon, but, at the same time the part of the Earth on the Opposite side also experidences a tide. This is due to the strong centrifugal force to balance the rotation of the earth.