Chatra Gorge
River gorge in Nepal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Chatra Gorge is a canyon cut by the Kosi River across the Mahabharat Range in Nepal.
| Chatra Gorge | |
|---|---|
  Chatra Gorge | |
| Length | 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) N-S |
| Width | 5 to 8 kilometres (3.1 to 5.0 mi) |
| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 26°52′07″N 87°09′07″E |
Kosi river system
The Kosi, or Sapt Kosi, drains eastern Nepal. It is known as Sapt Koshi because of the seven rivers which join together in east-central Nepal to form this river. The main rivers forming the Kosi system are – the Sun Kosi, the Indravati River, the Bhote Koshi, the Dudh Kosi, the Arun River, Barun River, and Tamur River. The combined river flows through the Chatra gorge in a southerly direction to emerge from the hills.[1][2]
The Sun Kosi contributes 44 per cent of the total water in the Sapta Koshi, the Arun 37 per cent and the Tamur 19 per cent.[3]
Of the rivers that form the Sapta Kosi, the three main tributaries, Sun Kosi, Arun and Tamur converge at Tribeni and enter Chatra Gorge.[4]
The Gorge
The Chatra Gorge is about 10 km long and is about 5–8 km wide. Downstream of the gorge, the river enters the alluvial plains forming a huge megafan covering around 16,000 km2.[4][5]
The gorge is located at 26°52′07″N 87°09′07″E. The initial or northern portion of the gorge is at an altitude of 115 metres (377 ft).[6]
Sapta Kosi High Dam
A 269 metres (883 ft) high dam is proposed to be built near Barahakshetra across the Sapta Kosi in the Chatra gorge. It will have a 3,000 MW power station and a barrage 8 km downstream with canals on both sides for irrigation.[7][8][9]