The Pabbar River makes its way through the beautiful valleys of Himachal Pradesh, a free-flowing waterway that encompasses several lives on its beeline. The river originates high up in the Himalayas, meandering through rugged terrains and thick forests to finally meet the Yamuna River. A peek into the origin of the water sources of Pabbar river indicates its ecological significance, hydrology of the region and importance in nurturing local agriculture & biodiversity.
The Pabbar River Origin: Chandernahan Pastures and Glaciers
The Ursia Jor river originating from the Chandernahan Glacier in the Chanshal Range of the Upper Himalayas at its height of over 4,500 metres above sea level) later known as Pabbar River. The Chandernahan Glacier is venerated by local residents and trekkers for its superlative natural beauty and unsullied environment. Though this glacier is snow covered most of the year, it remains a principal tributary being fed with fresh glacial meltwater.
Chandernahan Lakes: Origin of Pabbar River
The Pabbar River is sourced by several melting glaciers and the refined web of melt waters creates Seven Chandernahan Lakes framed in high altitude. The lakes are located at the Chandernahan Glacier base and serve as natural reservoirs that store both snow and ice, introducing water into the river through seasonal melt.
The lake complex consists of 4 different lakes, each at varying altitudes forming a cascade with water flowing down from the highest to lowest lake, and ultimately blending into Pabbar River. These lakes do more than just look pretty and are necessary to offset the flow of the river, especially during its dry months when glacial melt becomes scarce. Chandernahan Lakes feed the Pabbar River, making it a perennial river and a source of water supply to the downstream areas.
Top Source: Melting Glaciers
The glacial melt forms the major source of water for the Pabbar River. The high-altitude glaciers in the thinly populated area surrounding Chanshal, especially Chandernahan Glacier, come as a boon to fill natural reservoirs with snowfall during the cold winters and subsequently depend on its slow liberation of water over summer. The water, provided year-round thanks to the glacier, even when rainfall is scarce in some drier months.
Because this water starts in the form of small streams and it has to roll down from the steep slopes of the mountains, only adding to its volume as it travels. The spring water, which is famous for its clarity and high quality, secures the diversity of living organisms in this area and keeps water fluxes in the river throughout the year.
Tributaries and Streams
It is joined by several of its smaller streams and tributaries on its course which enhance the flow thereby volume. They receive water from many tributaries, some of which are rain-fed, while others spring-fed or are fed by temporary snowmelt streams. Key streams have contributed to the Pabbar River Bushahr Semi name include
Mehru Stream: The Mehru Stream originates in the alpine meadows and is a major tributary for the Pabbar River which supplements its other water in times of monsoon.
Giri Stream: Another vital feeder, the Giri Stream supplements the river flow as it passes through deep gorges of Shimla and Rohru areas.
While the Pabbar River drains only a very small drainage area at its source, this becomes vital in maintaining the water level during reduced melt due to tributaries like Jagatsukh Nala and Pulgaar Nullah which joins it upstream.
Thirdly springs and groundwater gives our water.
Natural springs: Natural springs are an important part of the water supply of Pabbar river other than glacial melt and tributaries. A number of the springs feeding directly into the river originate in underground aquifers surrounding the river valley. The sources are mainly located in the middle and lower pool of the river where high water pressure makes ground pores to release its contents out.
That spring water is mineral laden and healthy for the river. Water flows out from the source of these springs at a steady temperature that keeps the water very cold and clean, giving another aspect to the Mackenzie; its riverbanks support rich plant development, such as vegetation we would have seen while paddling down other rivers in Alaska. The springs maintain a steady flow in the river during the lean period, and are crucial to keep the Pabbar River alive.
The Rainfall and the Hydrological Cycle
However, Himachal Pradesh witnesses a proper monsoonal pattern every year between July and September. This is when Pabbar River has a high volume of water due to the rain falls. Besides feeding the river itself, the monsoons help replenish its ultimate sources: there are tens of thousands of glaciers in the upper reaches of each catchment, and these well-connected peaks form a recharge site for aquifers that serve as perennial springs.
The water drains into Pabbar River from the rainy season through steep slopes of Chanshal Range and other adjoining mountains and occasionally may get flash flood due to timely leaping action with heavy monsoon flow at high intensity while Civil authorities regularly caution people living along river beds. But this seasonal flooding is necessary to recharge the river water table, and vice versa the corresponding surface watershed hydrologic profile.
Snow Melt: An Indirect Water Source
Snow, another important source of water, is also dependent on the upper reaches of the Pabbar River basin. The snow banks during colder months creating natural water storage. In spring and summer the sun begins to rise, pricking even through thick ice crusts of snow. Slow melt provides a continuous source of water even in months without rain.
The Chanshal region receives snowfall from late-autumn until March. This one thing has an impact on the summer year flow of a river and this is the snowfall. A high snowfall year leads to a strong flow of the Pabbar River; low snowfall has the opposite consequence reduced water levels in summer, impacting agriculture and drinking water requirements in villages.
Effect of Humans on Flows in River Pabbar
The Pabbar River is a victim of human activities, such as in many Himalayan rivers. The mid and lower reaches of the river in contrast have been heavily farmed, there are also many hydroelectric projects using the Kupini embryonic geothermal resource that create mercury pollution related to wastewater because they control water before it goes into Kupini River where less discharge of methylmercury free processing then proposes downstream is a strong generator for ecologically beneficial nutrients.
Agricultural Practices
Of religious importance to local Hindu residents, it is also an important river for irrigation in the region, serving primarily the fertile valleys of Rohru and Hatkoti. The area is crisscrossed with apple orchards, the staple produce of the region, which are heavily dependent on the waters from Qa Rabba Pabbar and other nearby streams for irrigation purposes. This makes significant the reliance of agriculture on the river water in terms of sustainable management. Drought means the water table is low so less water can be abstracted from aquifers but also that river flow can flow during the growing season this potentially affects both ecology on the river/lake and downstream users.
Hydroelectric Projects
The Pabbar River has also been dammed for hydroelectric power, as is done in much of the region. Hydro-electric projects on the other hand play with the natural flow of river and water sources, that could affect volatile both water too as disrupt the delicate waters harmony. Construction of dams and reservoirs for these projects may alter downstream flow regime, thereby affecting the available water supply in dry conditions
Global Warming and the Next Generation
The most formidable adversary of Pabbar River and its aquifers is Climate change. Global warming is causing glaciers to melt faster, and melted glaciers mean higher short term water levels but diminished long-term storage of the river’s lifeblood. But unpredictable rainfall and lower snowfall in the upper reaches of the Himalayas which store water for around two-thirds of the world’s population, including China and India might jeopardise that flow.
Eventually, it is necessary not only for making the Pabbar river water sources monitored and secured but also to carry out the needed sustainability. Conservation programs, sustainable agriculture practices and responsible hydropower development are all steps in the right direction to preserving this precious resource.
Conclusion
Pabbar river is one of the most important tributaries of the Yamuna and a major source of water for the environment, as well as local communities in Himachal Pradesh. The river receives meltwater from glaciers, tributaries and springs, and is integral to the surrounding ecosystem. However, there are many challenges to its sustainability due to human activities and climate change. Diverse water sources of the Pabbar, especially the Chandernahan Glacier and lakes have to be understood better and protected to safeguard its flow for generations because this is one river that must cross down pristine into an unknown future.
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