Prelims 2020: Places in News Part-4

River Ujh

The Centre has given approval to a modified detailed project report (DPR) of the Ujh Multipurpose Project (MPP) in Jammu and Kashmir at an estimated cost of Rs 9,167 crore.

• Ujh Multipurpose Project is planned to fast track utilization of India's rights under the Indus Waters Treaty.
• The project will enhance the utilization of waters of Eastern Rivers allotted to India as per the Indus Water Treaty.
• The project is planned to be constructed in Kathua District of Jammu & Kashmir on the River Ujh.
• Ujh is a tributary of the Ravi river.
• The Ujh river originates in Kailash mountains (near Bhaderwah hills, part of the Pir Panjal Range) at an altitude of 4,300 meters (14,100 ft).
• Four streams, Bhini, Sutar, Dunarki and Talan join Ujh at Panjtirthi.

Burhi Dihing river

A stretch of the eastern Assam’s Burhi Dihing River was recently on fire due to a leakage in the underwater oil pipeline.

• Dihing or Burhi Dihing is a large left bank tributary of the Brahmaputra River in Upper Assam.
• It originates in the Eastern Himalayas (the Patkai Hills) in Arunachal Pradesh and flows through Tinsukia and Dibrugarh Districts in Assam to its confluence with the Brahmaputra at Dihingmukh.
• It creates of oxbow lakes in these areas.
• Other Tributaries of the Brahmaputra River are Dibang River, Lohit River, Dhansiri River, Kolong River, Kameng River, Manas River, Beki River, Raidak River, Jaldhaka River, Teesta River, Subansiri River.

Chambal River

Dolphin numbers have come down to 68 in the 435-km Chambal sanctuary, a survey by the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department has found, with experts suspecting fishing and extensive water withdrawal as major stressors.

• Chambal River originates at the Singar Chouri peak in the northern slopes of the Vindhya mountains (Indore, Madhya Pradesh).
• From there, it flows in the North direction in Madhya Pradesh and then follows a north-easterly direction through Rajasthan.
• It enters Uttar Pradesh and joins the Yamuna River in Etawah District.
• It is a rainfed river and its basin is bounded by the Vindhyan mountain ranges and the Aravallis. The Chambal and its tributaries drain the Malwa region of northwestern Madhya Pradesh.
• Tributaries: Banas, Kali Sindh, Parbati.
• It is one of the most pollution-free rivers in India.

Singur Dam

Locals and officials have expressed happiness over the arrival of floodwaters in the Singur project after a long time. Due to low rainfall for the past three years, storage levels in the project had reached a dead level.

• Singur Dam is located in Medak district of Telangana.
• It was constructed on the Manjeera River in 1989.
• Manjeera is a tributary of Godavari river.
• Manjeera river originates in Maharashtra and flows from the states of Karnataka and Telangana.
• It is a reservoir built for hydroelectric and irrigation purposes.
• It also serves as a source of drinking water for Hyderabad.
• The deep waters of the reservoir are home to about 1000 crocodiles.

Mt. Aconcagua

A 12-year old Mumbai student, Kaamya Karthikeyan has set a record of becoming the youngest in the world to summit Mt. Aconcagua.

• Mt. Aconcagua is the highest peak of the Andes Mountains in Argentina, South America.
• It is the highest mountain in the Americas and the highest mountain outside of Asia, with a summit elevation of 6,960.8 meters.
• The mountain is one of the so-called Seven Summits of the seven continents.
• It is believed to have the highest death rate of any mountain in South America – around three a year– which has earned it the nickname “Mountain of Death”. 

Rushikulya rookery coast

Restrictions in place for the COVID-19 threat is saving lakhs of Olive Ridley turtles from possible intrusion by humans, especially tourists, while they are continuing mass nesting at Odisha’s Rushikulya rookery.

• Gahirmatha marine sanctuary and Rushikulya rookery coast in Ganjam district are the main Olive Ridley Nesting sites in Odisha.
• Of these sites, Gahirmatha marine sanctuary is the largest rookery (mass nesting site) of Olive Ridley turtles.
• Olive Ridley is listed as Vulnerable under IUCN Red List.

Daporijo Bridge

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has constructed the Daporijo bridge over Subansiri River in Arunachal Pradesh in a record span of just 27 days.

• The bridge links roads leading up to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China.
• The Subansiri River is a tributary of the Brahmaputra River in the Indian states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.
• The Subansiri is the largest tributary of the Brahmaputra River.

Kasowal Bridge

• It is a 484- metre long permanent bridge on the river Ravi to connect the Kasowal enclave of Punjab along the Pakistan border to the rest of the country.
• It is built by the Borders Roads Organization.
• Kasowal enclave is around 35 square km.
• It was till now connected through a pontoon bridge of limited load capacity.
• The enclave was formed because it has the Ravi behind it and the International Border ahead of it.
• There are similar enclaves of Pakistani territory too, which lie ahead of Ravi and face Indian territory.
• These Pakistani enclaves- Dera Baba Nanak enclave and Jassar enclave- were occupied by the Indian Army in the 1965 and 1971 wars.

Rohtang pass tunnel (Atal Tunnel)

Prime Minister honoured the contribution of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee by naming the Strategic Tunnel under Rohtang Pass after him.

• The historic decision to construct a strategic tunnel below the Rohtang Pass was taken on June 3, 2000, when late Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister.
• It is a highway tunnel being built under the Rohtang Pass in the eastern Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas on the Leh-Manali Highway. 
• Upon completion, the 8.8 km-long tunnel will be the world’s longest highway tunnel at an altitude of above 10,000 feet (3,000 metres).
• It is a 10.5 m-wide single tube, a bi-lane tunnel with a fireproof emergency tunnel built into the
• main tunnel itself. The 10.5-m width includes a 1-metre footpath on both sides.
• It will reduce the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 kilometres and save crores of rupees in transport costs.
• It will also provide all-weather connectivity to remote border areas of Himachal Pradesh and
• Ladakh, which otherwise remained cut off from the rest of the country for about six months.
• The project has significant strategic implications for the military.
• Once the tunnel is operational, the forces will have access beyond the Rohtang Pass even in peak winter.

Rohtang Pass:

• It is a high mountain pass (elevation 3,978 m (13,050 ft)) on the eastern Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas around 51 km (32 mi) from Manali.
• The pass provides a natural divide between the Kullu Valley with a primarily Hindu culture (in the south), and the arid high-altitude Lahaul and Spiti valleys with a Buddhist culture (in the north).
• The pass lies on the watershed between the Chenab and Beas basins.
• On the southern side of this pass, the Beas River emerges from underground and flows southward
• On its northern side, the Chandra River (flows from the eastern Himalayas), a source stream of the river Chenab, flows westward.