In India there are two Mandakini Rivers. One Mandakini River originates in Madhya Pradesh and flows into the Yamuna River in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The other one flows from Uttarakhand and is a tributary of Alkananda.
Source of the River
The only source of the Mandakini River is the Chorabari Glacier. It is a medium-sized valley-shaped glacier. It covers 6.6 square kilometers. The glacier lies between the summit of Kedarnat and the town of Kedarnat. About 1% of glaciers were lost between 1962 and 2014. As a result, the water level of the Mandakini River has risen steadily.
Uttarakhand?s Mandakini River
The Mandakini River is a tributary of the Alakananda River. Alakananda is one of the two main streams of the Ganges. The Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers meet at Devprayag to form the Ganges. The Mandakini River flowing through the state of Uttarakhand is 81 km long. It flows between Sonprayag and Rudraprayag. It comes from the Chorabari Glacier. The Mandakini River joins the Songanga River in Sonprayag. This river is considered sacred because it pass through the Madhyamaheshwar as well as Kedarnath temples.
Madhya Pradesh?s Mandakini River
One of the tributaries of the Yamuna River is also called the Mandakini River. This Mandakini River passes through the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. It begins in the Satna district of the state of Uttar Pradesh. It flows into the Yamuna River in Chitrakoot in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
The Mandakini River is Chitrakoot?s lifeline. Chitrakoot is a religious site which is associated with the epic Ramayana. Recently, religious tourism is developing in the city which led to the construction of hotels, albeit illegally, on the banks of the river. National Green Tribunal (NGT), in the year 2014 banned construction within 100 meters of the river, and in the month of August, 2021, ordered vigilance in areas where hotels were built illegally. The Mandakini River is heavily polluted. In 2021, approximately 5 million liters of wastewater per day were discharged into rivers. The wastewater treatment project is not operational. Pollution in the river has increased as tourism in the region has grown. In the year 2020, Jal Shakti department included Mandakini on its list of the most polluted rivers in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
Kedarnath flash Floods
The Mandakini River experiences heavy rains during the monsoon. Annual rainfall in the Mandakini River region ranges from 2000 mm to 1000 mm. In the year 2013, one of these heavy rains caused the collapse of the dammed Lake Choirabari. The result was historic devastation, flooding of rural areas and the deaths of thousands. This incident is related to the Kedarnath flash floods which occurred in the year 2013.