The Vaitarna River (
IAST: ''Vaitarṇā'', pronunciation:
əit̪əɾɳaː is a river in
Nashik
Nashik (, Marathi: aːʃik, also called as Nasik ) is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated on the banks of river Godavari, Nashik is the third largest city in Maharashtra, after Mumbai and Pune. Nashi ...
and
Palghar district
Palghar District (Marathi pronunciation: aːlɡʱəɾ is a district in the state of Maharashtra in Konkan Division.
On 1 Aug 2014, the State government of Maharashtra announced the formation of the 36th district of Maharashtra Palghar, it wa ...
of Maharashtra. The
Tansa is its left bank tributary and the
Pinjal,
Dehraja, and
Surya are its right bank tributaries. Upper stretches of the Vaitarna are clean but in lower stretches it is polluted due to untreated industrial and civic waste. The Vaitarna is one of the most polluted rivers in India.
Course
It originates in Sahyadri mountain ranges near Trimbakeshwar. The Vaitarna is just 2 km away from India’s second longest river, the Godavari. Vaitarna has a confluence with the
Tanasa just before it enters the
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...
.
Jhow and
Wadhiv islands lie in its estuary.
Arnala Island lies off its mouth. It has three major dams which supply water to Mumbai.
Significance
The Vaitarna supplies much of Mumbai's drinking water. It is the largest river in the Northern Konkan region and drains
Maharashtra's whole Palghar district.
Legacy
The , a steamship, was named after the river.
References
Rivers of Maharashtra
Rivers of India
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