The Gaula River, or Gola River, is a river in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

originating in the

Lesser Himalayas The geology of Nepal is dominated by the Himalaya, the highest, youngest and a very highly active mountain range. Himalaya is a type locality for the study of on-going continent-continent collision tectonics. The Himalayan arc extends about fr ...

. It is approximately long. The river is also known by the names of Kichha and Baigul (or more specifically Baigul West) in its lower course. It originates in the Paharpani Village of

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

state, and flows south past

Kathgodam Kathgodam is a suburb of Haldwani city in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand state of India. It used to be a part of the twin township of Haldwani-Kathgodam, and is immediately north of Haldwani. It is one of the important collection centres ...

Haldwani Haldwani ( Kumaoni: ''Haldvānī'') is the largest city of Kumaon. It is also the third most populous city and largest commercial market in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Haldwani is said to be the financial capital of Uttarakhand, having the ...

Kichha Kichha is oldest tehseel of Udham Singh Nagar district. It is older than Rudrapur city. It has its own municipal board, located in Udham Singh Nagar district, Uttarakhand, India. Geography Kichha is located at . The town has an average elevatio ...

and Shahi, finally joining the

Ramganga Ramganga is a tributary of the river Ganges, originating in Uttarakhand state, India. Ramganga West Ramganga West River originates from Dudhatoli or Doodhatoli ranges Course The Ramganga River originates in the southern slopes of Dudha ...

River about northwest of

Bareilly Bareilly () is a city in Bareilly district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is among the largest metropolises in Western Uttar Pradesh and is the centre of the Bareilly division as well as the historical region of Rohilkhand. The ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 195 ...

, Ramganga in turn is a tributary of the river

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

. It is mainly a

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a h ...

fed river; this river is source of water for

and

. A beautiful dam exists over this river in

Mining

This is also controversial due to

illegal mining Illegal mining is mining activity that is undertaken without state permission, in particular in absence of land rights, mining licenses, and exploration or mineral transportation permits. Illegal mining can be a subsistence activity, as is the c ...

,. The

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government i ...

plans to install remote sensor anti-theft devices,.

Ecology

Over the years, due erosion and deforestation the Gaula catchment has become prone to landslides and the springs in it and overall rainfall have declined leading to reduction in its flow. The Gaula riverbed after it hits the plain near Haldwani has also been facing erosion to excessive quarrying. When despite Supreme Court's directive which effectively banned quarrying while only allowing silt deposit removal, has led to public protests in the regions and a

bandh Bandh (Devanagari: बंद) (literally: shutting down) is a form of protest used by political activists in South Asian countries such as India and Nepal. It is similar to a general strike. During a bandh, a political party or a community decl ...

(mass strike) in Haldwani in December 2009 by activists, alleging nexus between stone crushing and mining industry and the administration. The steady erosion of the Gola river forest corridor threatens the survival of

tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

and

elephants Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...

in the Terai region,.

Gaula Dam

A barrage on this river, known as the Gaula Barrage, is located at

. The barrage is a landmark for the local residents. It provides irrigation water for the

bhabar Bhabar or Bhabhar ( Kumaoni: bhābar) is a region south of the Lower Himalayas and the Sivalik Hills in Kumaon, India, containing some of the largest cities of Kumaon, Haldwani and Ramnagar, both in Nainital District. It is the alluvial apron ...

fields.

Bridge near Haldwani-Kathgodam

Development of bridge over this river in

Haldwani-Kathgodam Haldwani ( Kumaoni: ''Haldvānī'') is the largest city of Kumaon. It is also the third most populous city and largest commercial market in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Haldwani is said to be the financial capital of Uttarakhand, having the ...

area has been controversial for long.

Image Gallery

File:Golapaar.jpg, Gaula in

File:Gaula Bareilly.jpg, Gaula crossing

NH 24 National Highway 24 (NH 24) is a primary national highway in India, running in a north-south direction. This highway runs entirely in the state of Uttar Pradesh. This highway was created by renumbering former NH29 and NH97 as per new number ...

near

References

External links

Gaula River
at ''

wikimapia Wikimapia is a geographic online encyclopedia project. The project implements an interactive "clickable" web map that utilizes Google Maps with a geographically-referenced wiki system, with the aim to mark and describe all geographical object ...

'' Rivers of Uttarakhand Nainital district Ganges basin Rivers of India {{India-river-stub