The Sahibi river, also called the Sabi River, is an

ephemeral Ephemerality (from the Greek word , meaning 'lasting only one day') is the concept of things being transitory, existing only briefly. Academically, the term ephemeral constitutionally describes a diverse assortment of things and experiences, fr ...

, rain-fed river flowing through

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...

(where its canalised portion is called the "Outfall Drain No 8") and

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

states in India. It originates in the eastern slopes of the Saiwar Protected Forest (PF) hills in Sikar District, enters Jaipur district near the foot of these hills, and after initially flowing southeast and east turns northeastwards near Shahpura and continues further till it exits Rajasthan to enter Haryana and further drains into

Yamuna The Yamuna (; ) is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of Bandarpunch peaks of the Low ...

, where its channeled course is also called the Najafgarh drain, which also serves as Najafgarh drain bird sanctuary. Haryana rivers profile
/ref>Ropeway for tourist pull at barrage site

Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...

It flows for 300 km of which 157 km is in Rajasthan 100 km is in Haryana and 40 km in Delhi. The current and paleochannels of Sahibi river have several important wetlands that lie in series, including the Masani barrage wetland, Matanhail forest, Chhuchhakwas-Godhari, Khaparwas Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary, Outfall Drain Number 6 (canalised portion in Haryana of Sahibii river), Outfall Drain Number 8 (canalised portion in Haryana of Dohan river which is a

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of Sahibi river), Sarbashirpur, Sultanpur National Park, Basai Wetland, Najafgarh lake and Najafgarh drain bird sanctuary, and The Lost lake of Gurugram, all of which are home to endangered and migratory birds, yet largely remain unprotected under extreme threat from the colonisers and builders. Several Ochre Coloured Pottery culture sites (also identified as late Harappan phase of

Indus Valley civilisation The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation, was a Bronze Age civilisation in the Northwestern South Asia, northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 Common Era, BCE to 1300 BCE, and in i ...

culture) have been found along the banks of Sahibi river and its tributaries such as Krishnavati river, Dohan river (originates near Neem Ka Thana in Alwar district) and Sota River (merges with Sahibi river at Behror in Alwar district and its canalised portion in Haryana is called the "Outfall Drain No 6").Cultural Contours of India: Dr. Satya Prakash Felicitation Volume, Vijai Shankar Śrivastava, 1981
The drainage pattern for all these rivers is

dendritic Dendrite derives from the Greek word "dendron" meaning ( "tree-like"), and may refer to: Biology *Dendrite, a branched projection of a neuron *Dendrite (non-neuronal), branching projections of certain skin cells and immune cells Physical *Dendri ...

Geography

The Sahibi River originates from the eastern slopes of the Saiwar Protected Forest hills in

Aravalli Range The Aravalli Range (also spelled ''Aravali'') is a mountain range in North India, Northern-Western India, running approximately in a south-west direction, starting near Delhi, passing through southern Haryana and Rajasthan, and ending in Ahme ...

near Jitgarh and Manoharpur in Sikar district of

state. After covering about 157 km distance in the

state. After gathering volume from a hundred

tributaries A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...

, the Sahibi River forms a broad stream around

Alwar Alwar ( Rajasthani Pronunciation: �lʋəɾ is a city located in India's National Capital Region (NCR) and the administrative headquarters of Alwar District in the state of Rajasthan. It is located 150 km south of Delhi and 150 km ...

and Kotputli.

Tributaries

These west to north-west flowing rivers originate from the western slopes of

Aravalli range The Aravalli Range (also spelled ''Aravali'') is a mountain range in North India, Northern-Western India, running approximately in a south-west direction, starting near Delhi, passing through southern Haryana and Rajasthan, and ending in Ahme ...

in Rajasthan, flow through semi-arid historical

Shekhawati Shekhawati is a region in the northern part of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan, comprising the districts of Sikar, Jhunjhunu, and Churu district, Churu. The language of this region is also called Shekhawat ...

region, drain into southern Haryana. * Sahibi River, originates near Manoharpur and Neem Ka Thana district flows through Haryana, along with its following tributaries:Sahibi river
/ref>Books: Page 41, 42, 43, 44, 47 (b) Sahibi Nadi (River), River Pollution, By A.k.jain
/ref>Minerals and Metals in Ancient India: Archaeological evidence
Arun Kumar Biswas, Sulekha Biswas, University of Michigan. 1996. . ** Dohan river ( Kotkasim drain), tributary of Sahibi river, originates near Neem Ka Thana in Sikar division. ** Sota River, is a major tributary of Sahibi river, merges with Sahibi river at Behror in Kot Behror district. ** Krishnavati river, former tributary of Sahibi river, originates near Dariba copper mines in Rajsamand district of Rajasthan, flows through Patan in

Dausa district Dausa district is a district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is part of the Jaipur division–one of the ten List of districts of Rajasthan#Divisions, administrative divisions of Rajasthan. The city of Dausa is the district headquarters. ...

and Mothooka in

Alwar district Alwar is a district in the States and territories of India, state of Rajasthan in northern India, whose district headquarters is Alwar, Alwar city. The district covers 8,337 km2. It is bound on the north by Rewari district of Haryana, on t ...

, then disappears in

Mahendragarh district Mahendragarh district is one of the 22 districts of Haryana state in northern India. The district occupies an area of 1,899 km² and has a population of 922,088 (2021census). District have 4 Sub-divisions : Narnaul, Mahendragarh, Nangal ...

much before reaching Sahibi river. ** Narainpur Nala carries the drainage of north-west of Bansur Tehsil and drains into Sahibi. ** Surakh Nali from babariya bund in Bansur drains into Sahibi at Sodawas ** Khar Nali drains at Sodawas. ** Kasaoti Nala in Behror drains into Sahibi river. ** Hajipur or Harsora Nala from Bansur drains into Sahibi at Bijwar in Mundawar tehsil. ** Indori river, is also a tributary of Sahibi river

Basin and catchment area

Sabi River Basin is located in the mid north eastern part of Rajasthan. It stretches between 27° 18' 39.13” to 28° 13' 55.10” North latitude and 76° 58' 21.09’’ to 75° 45' 35.05’’ East longitude. It is bounded in the northwest by Shekhawati River Basin and Ruparail and Banganga River Basins in the southeast. The northern boundary is shared administratively with Haryana State. The Basin extends over parts of Jaipur Rural and Neem Ka Thana, Kot Behror, Khairthal, Rewari, Jhajjar, Gurugram districts. The total

catchment area A catchment area in human geography, is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...

of the Basin is 4607.9 km2. The catchment area of the Sahibi River encompasses the following cities and towns: Sikar,

Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...

, and Kotputli in northeastern

state; Bawal,

Rewari Rewari is a city and a municipal council in Rewari district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is the district headquarters of Rewari district. It is located in south-west Haryana around 82 km from DelhiPataudi, and

Jhajjar district Jhajjar district is one of the 22 districts of Haryana state in northern India. Carved out of Rohtak district on 15 July 1997 and with its headquarters in Jhajjar, it lies from Delhi and had developed into an important industrial center. Oth ...

in southern

state; and

state.

Rajasthan

The catchment area of the Sahibi River in

is of Jaipur, Alwar and Sikar Districts, between latitudes 27°16' and 28°11' and longitudes 75°42' and 76°57'. Sahibi Basin falls in three Districts of Rajasthan namely:

(62.11%), Jaipur district (29.30%) and Sikar district (8.59%). Mean Annual Rainfall in Sahibi Basin is 627.60 mm. Highest maximum temperature ranges from 45.45 to 45.99 °C with a mean value of 45.8 °C, while Lowest minimum temperature ranges from 1.64 to 3.14 °C with a mean value of 2.45 °C.

Haryana

It leaves

state beyond Kotkasim in

near village Lalpur and covers a total distance of about 222 km up to Dhasa Bund. It enters

state at Jhabua, near the city of

state near Kotkasim, and then Haryana again near the village of Jarthal. The dry riverbed near Jarthal is wide. During light

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...

rainfall, the river's flat and sandy bottom absorbs all rainwater. Masani barrage on the river lies near Dahuhera. During heavy rains, the river has defined course up to Pataudi railway station and branches off into two smaller streams to

Jhajjar Jhajjar is a town in Jhajjar district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is a part of Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) and situated on the road connecting Rewari to Rohtak (NH-352), Loharu to Meerut (NH334B), Charkhi Dadri to Delhi and Gu ...

, finally reaching the outskirts of Delhi through Najafgarh drain and ending at the

Yamuna River The Yamuna (; ) is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in List of major rivers of India, India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of B ...

Delhi

The Najafgarh Drain or Najafgarh Nallah (''nullah'' in

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

means ''drain'') is another name for the Sahibi River, which continues its flow through Delhi where it is channelised for flood control purposes. It is a tributary to the Yamuna River, into which it flows. The Najafgarh Drain gets its name from the once famous and huge Najafgarh Lake near the town of

Najafgarh Najafgarh is a town in the South West Delhi, South West Delhi district of National Capital Territory of Delhi, India. It is one of the three subdivisions of the Southwest Delhi district. Najafgarh is located on outskirts of NCT Delhi in south we ...

in southwest Delhi. The Najafgarh Drain is the capital's most polluted body of water due to the direct inflow of untreated sewage from surrounding populated areas. Assessing the water quality of wetlands in wildlife habitats, a January 2005 report by the Central Pollution Control Board rated the Najafgarh Drain under category D, along with 13 other highly polluted wetlands. Regulators at the Keshopur Bus Depot on the Outer Ring Road are wide with thick and high embankments. A vast amount of water is retained in this widened drain by closing the Kakrola regulators under Najafgarh Road to recharge the local groundwater table.

Barrages and bridges

Several bridges cross the Sahibi River. A bridge on State Highway 14 crosses the river between Behror and Sodawas (Behror to Alwar Road). On State Highway 52, a bridge crosses the river between Ajaraka and Dadhiya. The Masani barrage is also used as the bridge on NH 919 which merges with NH 48 (Delhi-Jaipur-Mumbai, formerly NH 8) at this barrage near Dharuhera,

Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language India, Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the Indian Express Limited, ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnat ...

, 14 August 2017. Buchara dam is located in Buchara Leopard Sanctuary Kotputli on Sota River , a major tributary. Railway bridges between Ajaraka and Bawal and near Pataudi also cross the river. A railway bridge near Nangal Pathani also crosses the river.

History

Prior to 1960, the rain-fed Sahibi River entered Delhi near Dhansa and spilled its overflow in the Najafgarh Lake (Jheel) basin, creating a seasonal lake. A vast area more than was submerged in some seasons. In the following decades, the Sahibi River flow reaching Dhansa was channelised by digging a wide drain and connecting it directly to the Yamuna River, completely draining the seasonal Najafgarh Jheel. The Sahibi River flooded in 1977. In response, the Masani barrage was constructed on Delhi-Jaipur highway near Masani village, Rewari. Several smaller dams have also been constructed throughout the hills of Rajasthan to store rainwater. The construction of dams has restricted the flow of water on the Sahibi River and it is now rare for water overflow from monsoon rains to reach up the Masani Barrage.

Archaeological sites in the area

Parts of Rajasthan and Haryana that Sahibi river flows through are arid and have only seasonal monsoon rainfall, in the past river might have held perennial flow as evident by the presence of several sites of the Ganeshwar–Jodhpura culture on the banks of present-day Sahibi River meanders and its tributaries. Among the finds are handmade and wheel-made pottery dated to 3309–2709 BCE and 2879–2384 BCE found on the banks of the Sahibi River at Jodhpura. Other findings include pottery found on the Sahibi riverbed at Hansaka in the Rewari district by INTACH-Rewari. A red stone statue of

Vamana Vamana (, ) also known as Trivikrama (), Urukrama (), Upendra (), Dadhivamana (, ), and Balibandhana (), is an Dashavatara, avatar of the Hinduism, Hindu deity Vishnu. He is the fifth avatar of Vishnu and the first Dashavatara in the Treta ...

Dev, now displayed at the Shri Krishna Museum,

Kurukshetra Kurukshetra () is a city and administrative headquarters of Kurukshetra district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is also known as Dharmakshetra ("Realm of duty") and as the "Land of the Bhagavad Gita". Legends According to the Puranas ...

was unearthed in 2002 on the Sahibi riverbed near Bawal. In various other places on Sahibi riverbed, many artifacts have been found, including arrowheads, fishhooks, spearheads, awls, and chisels.A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India from the stone age to the 12th century, Pearson 2009, page 116India Mapped - Sahibi river
/ref>

Identification with Vedic rivers

Several modern scholars identify the old

Ghaggar-Hakra River The Ghaggar-Hakra River () is an intermittent river in India and Pakistan that flows only during the monsoon season. The river is known as Ghaggar before the Ottu barrage at , and as Hakra downstream of the barrage in the Thar Desert. In pre-Ha ...

(of which Tangri river is a tributary) as the

Sarasvati river The Sarasvati River () is a Apotheosis, deified myth, mythological Rigvedic rivers, river first mentioned in the Rigveda and later in Vedas, Vedic and post-Vedic texts. It played an important role in the Historical Vedic religion, Vedic religio ...

and the Sahibi River with the Drishadvati river of

Vedic period The Vedic period, or the Vedic age (), is the period in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age of the history of India when the Vedic literature, including the Vedas (–900 BCE), was composed in the northern Indian subcontinent, between the e ...

, on the banks of which in the Vedic state of Brahmavarta, Indus-Sarasvati civilisation or Vedic Sanskriti developed. Such scholars include Bhargava"Location of Brahmavarta and Drishadwati River is important to find earliest alignment of Saraswati River", Sudhir Bhargava, International Conference, 20–22 Nov. 2009, "Saraswati-a perspective" pages 114–117,

Kurukshetra University Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra (KUK) is a university established on 11January 1956 in Kurukshetra, in the Indian state of Haryana, from the capital, Delhi. It is a member of Association of Commonwealth Universities. History The univers ...

, Kurukshetra, Organised by: Saraswati Nadi Shodh Sansthan, Haryana. The Drishadwati River had formed one border of the

Vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed ...

state of Brahmavarta while other was Saraswati river. This is mentioned in the ''

Rigveda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' (, , from wikt:ऋच्, ऋच्, "praise" and wikt:वेद, वेद, "knowledge") is an ancient Indian Miscellany, collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canoni ...

'', the ''

Manusmriti The ''Manusmṛti'' (), also known as the ''Mānava-Dharmaśāstra'' or the Laws of Manu, is one of the many legal texts and constitutions among the many ' of Hinduism. Over fifty manuscripts of the ''Manusmriti'' are now known, but the earli ...

'', and the other Hindu texts as well.

Ecology

This is an important part of ecological corridor along the route of Sahibi river which traverses from Aravalli hills in Rajasthan to

via Masani barrage, Matanhail forest, Chhuchhakwas-Godhari, Khaparwas Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary, Outfall Drain Number 8 and 6, Sarbashirpur, Sultanpur National Park, Basai and The Lost Lake (Gurugram). It lies 5 km northwest of Bhindawas Bird Sanctuary and 46 km northwest of Sultantpur National Park via road.

Ecological concerns

Entire 100 km stretch of Sahibi river and its streams (Sota river, Kotkasim drain and Indori river) in Haryana are ecologically dead.

Gurugram Gurgaon (), officially named Gurugram (), is a satellite city of Delhi and administrative headquarters of Gurgaon district, located in the northern Indian state of Haryana. It is situated near the Delhi–Haryana border, about southwest o ...

also dumps polluted discharge in the riverbed of Sahibi. In some of its reaches, from Mandawar and Kotkasim to Haryana border, meandering of the river causes bank erosion.

Restoration

Government of Haryana is coordinating with Government of Rajasthan to ensure water reaches usually-dry Masani barrage and dying seasonal Sahibi river. Another government project is being implemented to direct the extra water of Yamuna river during monsoon to Masani barrage through Jawahar Lal Nehru Canal and Western Yamuna Canal (c. July 2015)."Centre of AIIMS to come up in Rewari district: Khattar ."

Business Standard ''Business Standard'' is an Indian English-language daily edition newspaper published by Business Standard Private Limited, also available in Hindi. Founded in 1975, the newspaper covers the Indian economy, infrastructure, international busi ...

, 4 July 2015.

References

External links

Sarasvati-Sindhu civilization and Sarasvati River

{{Authority control Rivers of Haryana Rivers of Rajasthan Rivers of Delhi Tributaries of the Yamuna River Yamuna River Drainage canals Canals in India Archaeological sites in Haryana Archaeological sites in Rajasthan Indus basin Indus Valley Civilisation sites Rigvedic rivers