Jam is an

intermittent river Intermittent, temporary or seasonal rivers or streams cease to flow every year or at least twice every five years. Such rivers drain large arid and semi-arid areas, covering approximately a third of the Earth's surface. The extent of tempora ...

in central

India India, officially the Republic of India, 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 by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in southern

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

. It originates in Betul District and flows through

Chhindwara District Chhindwara district () is a List of districts of Madhya Pradesh, district of Madhya Pradesh state in India, and Chhindwara town is the district headquarters. Chhindwara was the largest district in Madhya Pradesh with an area of 10,293 square k ...

during its short run, ultimately draining into the Kanhan River. This confluence is located at the border with

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

. An ambitious water project in the form of a dam had been proposed by Maharashtra in anticipation of the growing water needs of metro

Nagpur Nagpur (; ISO 15919, ISO: ''Nāgapura'') is the second capital and third-largest city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is called the heart of India because of its central geographical location. It is the largest and most populated city i ...

. However the project was shelved for the time being due to lack of co-operation from the state government in

. A ''gotmar'' (stone throwing) fair, located between Sawargaon ( Savargaon) village and the town of Pandhurna, is organized every year along its banks.

Course

The river originates through a convergence of several rivulets and streams flowing down the hill slopes situated around Chilhati village in the Betul District in

at an altitude of 762m. Snaking along eastwards the river enters the

where it flows mostly in the Sausar region, and hits flatter terrain where it collects two rivers, each of them being spill offs from dams. The first one is the overflow stream from an earthen dam located near Mandvi. The other, longer of the two streams, flows out from the Borgaon Dam, runs parallel to NH69, and merges with Jam river at Teegaon. Here the river widens out and continues its run southeast of the town receiving another tributary on its left bank near the village Chichkheda. It travels through the outskirts of the town Pandhurna changing course to run in an eastward fashion. Just before reaching the village Jam, it receives its largest tributary River Sarpini. From here the river again flows southeast-ward passing the town of Lodhikheda and ends its course by entering the Kanhan River below Razhadi Borgaon, at the village of Sangam (literally 'confluence'). The river flows only during the monsoon season.

History

In 1999 forty-nine people drowned in the Jam River when a bus was swept away trying to cross the Jam River. In response to this incident, the Rajiv Gandhi bridge was built in Saunsar tehsil.

References

{{Reflist Rivers of Madhya Pradesh Festivals in Madhya Pradesh