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CHAPTER 3
Indian Rivers and it’s status quo
THE KRISHNA AND BHIMA RIVER BASIN AND ITS
CURRENT CONDITION
Concern over the Krishna River Basin’s impending closure has
raised the problem of water distribution among the user states.
Thus, one must thoroughly understand the geology, climate,
rainfall, water resources, geomorphology, soil types, and structure
of the Krishna river basin. Krishna has a catchment area of 2,58,948
sq.km, making it the fifth-largest river basin in India. Before
coursing into the Bay of Bengal, the river travels 1400 kilometres
through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.
Basalts and crystalline rocks make up most of the basin’s geology,
with alluvium and lateritic soils making up the remainder. The
Bhima and the Tungabhadra are its two greatest tributaries, and
it has various small to large-scale reservoirs for irrigation and/or
hydropower generation plans (e.g. Nagarjuna Sagar and Srisailam).
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