The Betwa (Hindi: बेतवा, Sanskrit: वेत्रवती) is a river in Northern India, and a tributary of the Yamuna. It rises in the Vindhya Range (Raisen) just north of Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh and flows northeast through Madhya Pradesh and Orchha to Uttar Pradesh. Nearly half of its course, which is not navigable, runs over the Malwa Plateau. The confluence of the Betwa and the Yamuna rivers is in Hamirpur district in Uttar Pradesh, in the vicinity of Orchha.
The Indian navy named one of its frigates INS Betwa in honour of the river.
History
River Betwa close to the 11th century Bhojeshwar Temple at Bhojpur, Madhya Pradesh
Chhatris on the bank of Betwa river
In Sanskrit “Betwa” is Vetravati. This river is mentioned in the epic Mahabharata along with the Charmanwati river. Both are tributaries of Yamuna. Vetravati was also known as Shuktimati. The capital of Chedi Kingdom was on the banks of this river. The length of the river from its origin to its confluence with Yamuna is 590 kilometres (370 mi), out of which 232 kilometres (144 mi) lies in Madhya Pradesh and the balance of 358 kilometres (222 mi) in Uttar Pradesh. In accordance with an inter-state agreement between the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in 1973, Betwa River Board (BRB) was constituted under the Betwa River Board Act, 1976. The Union Minister of Ministry of Water Resources the Chairman of the Board and the Union Minister of Power, Union Minister of State for Water Resources, Chief Ministers and Ministers in-charge of Finance, Irrigation and Power of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are its Members.
Future
The Betwa River is being linked with the Ken River as a part of the river linking project in Madhya Pradesh. Latterly The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has given its clearance for the Ken-Betwa inter-linking of rivers (ILR) project. Another noteworthy project on the Betwa River is the construction of the Matatila Dam, an undertaking between the states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The region is important for migratory waterbirds. An ambitious project to link Ken and Betwarivers has become a stage for a unique man-animal conflict. Proponents of the project, led by the Union Water Ministry, say that the proposed Daudhan dam and the 230 km canal — the key structures of the project — that will transfer surplus water from the Uttar Pradesh section of the Ken to the Betwa in Madhya Pradesh are critical to irrigate nearly 7,00,000 hectares in drought-ravaged Bundelkhand.
Dams
- Rajghat Dam
- Matatila Dam
- Parichha Dam
- Dhurwara Dam