Kshetram August 2016 Indo - Gangetic Plain The Indo-Gangetic Plain is a 255 million hectare fertile plain, also famously known as Indus-Ganga Plain and North Indian River Plain. The plain encompasses most of the northern and eastern India, western parts of Pakistan and virtually all of Bangladesh. The region is named after the major rivers of the area i.e., Indus and Ganges. The plain encompasses a number of large urban areas. As the Indo- Gangetic plain is bounded by the Himalayas on the north, the birthplace of the plain s numerous rivers and also the source of the fertile alluvium which is deposited across the region by the two river systems, crores of people depend on it for their lives and livelihoods. Indo - Gangetic Plain ( 1 )
The Indo-Gangetic Plain is a 255 million hectare fertile plain, also famously known as the Indus-Ganga Plain and North Indian River Plain. The plain encompasses most of the northern and eastern India, western parts of Pakistan and virtually all of Bangladesh. The region is named after the major rivers of the area i.e., Indus and Ganges. The plain encompasses a number of large urban areas. As the Indo-Gangetic plain is bounded by the Himalayas on the north, the birthplace of the plain s numerous rivers and also the source of the fertile alluvium which is deposited across the region by the two river systems, crores of people depend on it for their lives and livelihoods. The plains have seen their share of mighty ancient civilisations such as the Indus Valley Civilization, and various empires ranging from Guptas, Kanauj, Magadha, to Maurya. Moreover, the Mughals and Sultanate of Delhi and other empires had their demographic and political centres in the Plain. The language of the Indo-Gangetic Plain was previously Indo-Aryan, but today we have Bengali, Hindi, Hindustani and Urdu as the major languages of the region; apart from the above, there are other varieties of regional languages, which in several cases form a dialect chain with one another. According to a few geographers, the Indo-Gangetic Plain can be divided into several parts such as Sindh, Punjab, Doab and Bengal regions; however, by other definitions, the Indus-Ganga Plain is divided into two drainage basins by the Delhi Ridge. The western part consists of the Punjab Plain and the eastern part consists of the Ganga- Brahmaputra drainage systems. As the divide is only 300 metres above sea level, it causes the perception that the Indus-Ganga Plain appears to be continuous between the two drainage basins. The Ganga plain in the middle part extends from the Yamuna river in the west to the state of West Bengal in the east. The Gangetic plain stretches roughly from Kashmir in the north; Punjab, a provincial region of Pakistan and the Aravalli range in the west; Himalayan foothills of Assam and Bangladesh in the east; and Chota Nagpur Plateau to the south. The Gangetic fertile region is the Nepalese extension of the Plain and the rivers that are encompassed are the Beas, Chambal, Chenab, Ganga, Gomti, Indus, Ravi, Sutlej and Yamuna. The soil in the plain is rich in silt, making the plain one of the most intensely farmed areas of the world, as the rural areas are densely populated. The plains, which otherwise are also known as the Great Plains are the large floodplains of the Indus and the Ganga- Brahmaputra river systems, and these run parallel to the Himalaya mountains, right from Jammu and Kashmir in the west to Assam in the east, and drain most of the northern and eastern India. The plains which encompass an areas of 270,000 miles, vary in width through their length by several hundred kilometers. The Plains are also classified into main four divisions by their soil and they are: The Bhabar belt, which is adjacent to the foothills of the Himalayas and consists of boulders and pebbles and the porosity of the belt is very high, as the streams flow underground and the narrowness of the belt is around 7-15 km wide. The Terai belt, which lies next to the above and is composed of newer alluvium, as the region is excessively moist and thickly forested and receives heavy rainfall throughout the year and is populated with a variety of wildlife. The Bangar belt, which consists of older alluvium and forms the alluvial terrace of the flood plains and this part of the Gangetic plains, has a low upland covered by the laterite deposits. The Khadir belt, which lies in lowland areas after the Bangar belt and is made of fresh newer alluvium, which is deposited by the rivers, flowing down the plain. It is interesting to observe that the Indus-Ganga belt is the world s most extensive expanse of uninterrupted alluvium formed by the deposition of silt by numerous rivers and the plains are flat and mostly treeless. It makes it conducive for irrigation through canals, having rich groundwater resources, thereby, making it the world s most intensely farmed areas and rank among the world s most densely populated areas. On the social and economic terms, the Plain is the most fertile region of India, as the plain is a great alluvial crescent Indo - Gangetic Plain ( 2 )
stretching from the Indus River system in Pakistan to the Punjab Plain and the Haryana Plain to the delta of the Ganga in Bangladesh. Topographically, the plain is homogeneous, with only floodplain bluffs and other related features of river erosion and changes in river channels forming important natural features. The average annual rainfall increases moving west to east from approximately 600 millimeters in the Punjab Plain to 1,500 millimeters around the lower Ganga and Brahmaputra. The Himalayas, the highest mountain range in the world, extend along the northern frontiers of Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Burma. They were formed geologically as a result of the collision of the Indian subcontinent with Asia. The plain is home to a high biodiversity hotspot, as it has very rich and exotic flora and fauna. The region is inhabited by several large species of animals, the open plains are home to large numbers of herbivores, which include the three Asian Rhinoceros the Indian, Javan and the Sumatran rhinoceros. The open grasslands of the region have a resemblance to landscape of modern Africa and has a presence of gazelle, buffalo, rhinoceros, elephants, lions and hippopotamus. In the forested areas, there are several species of wild boars, deer and in the wetter regions, large herds of water buffalo are there. In the river Ganges, there are large concentrations of gharial, mugger crocodile and the river dolphin, which control the fish stocks and the occasional migrating herds crossing the river. The flora of the plain is very rich and has many species sound of medicinal value. The Thar Desert and Aravalli hills are situated between the Indus and Gangetic Plains, with Mount Abu being the highest point (5650 ft) in the Aravalli hills. In the plains, the river Brahmaputra is a vast, but slow-moving river, which also forms several islands. The Indo-Gangetic plain has also contributed to the rise of urban centres, particularly on the river banks or at the confluence of rivers, such as the Harappan culture which flourished in the Indus valley; the vedic culture which prospered in the western Gangetic plain. Some of the key cities of the Gangetic plains are Baneras, Allahabad, Agra, Delhi and Pataliputra. In the ancient period, Pataliputra had remained the capital for the Mauryas, Sungas, Guptas and other kingdoms. On the western side of the Gangetic plain lies Delhi, where we know that most of the decisive battles of Indian history i.e., Kurukshetra, Tarain and Panipat were fought, and this plain had always been a source of temptation and attraction for the foreign invaders due to its fertility and productive wealth. The Ganga-Yamuna doab always proved to be the most coveted and contested area. The rivers in the region had always served as important arteries of commerce and communication, and men and material were moved by the boat during ancient times as it was difficult to make roads. The importance of rivers for communication continued till the days of the East India Company. The soil in the Indo-Gangetic Alluvial Plains (IGP) is the most extensive fluvial plains, and it covers several states of the northern, eastern and central parts of India. The IGP occupies a total area of approximately of 43.7 m ha, and represents one of the eight Agro-Ecological Regions (AER) and 14 agro-ecological sub regions. The area of IGP is nearly 13% of the total geographical area of the country, and it produces about 50% of the total food grains to feed 40% of the population of the country. On the agriculture front, the plains being very rich, farming on the Indus- Ganga Plain primarily consists of rice and wheat which are both grown in rotation, and the other crops include maize, sugarcane and cotton. The southwest monsoon is the key source of rainfall, and many rivers flowing out of the Himalayas provide water for major irrigation works; due to the ever-growing population, the belt is considered at high risk for water shortages in the future. The livelihoods of population in IGPs have a integrated farming systems, with crop-livestock interactions. The various sub-regions are characterized by rural livelihoods based on wheat-buffalo farming systems; with wheat being predominant in the cropping system. Buffalo (dairy) dominates the bovine population. The rich plains have crop production as the major activity for households with access to land which is owned or hired, i.e., farm households and the prevalence of irrigation infrastructure typically allows for two crop seasons per year and each season has a distinct set of crops. During the kharif season, the village cropped area is allocated to rice, pulses, oilseeds, fodder crops, sugarcane, horticulture and other cereals. A striking similarity amongst the clusters is the Indo - Gangetic Plain ( 3 )
area devoted to fodder crops, which are primarily sorghum and jowar, which shows a reflection of the importance of the livestock activity and lack of alternative fodder sources. Apart from buffalo, landless families rear other livestock, such as equines, camels, sheep, goats and pigs. There are also non-farm based livelihoods in the Plains region. In the lower Gangetic plains, the moist deciduous forests are abundant, and cover eastern India and Bangladesh; the eco-region covers an area of 254,100 square kilometers (98,100 Sq. Met.,) covering most of Bangladesh, and the Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar and Tripura and also extends into adjacent portions of Assam, UP and Orissa states too. The region in the north extends to the base of the Himalayas, where it is bounded by the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands, and the upper portion of the Brahmaputra valley in Assam is home to the humid lowland Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests. The eco-region has been densely settled for many centuries and the forest clearance by the population has led to only 3% of the eco-region remaining as natural forests. Today, we have only small patches remaining as forest areas, except for one large block of forest in the south of Varanasi. It was in 1997, that the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) had identified over 40 protected areas in the eco-region with a combined area of approximately 7000 km2 or approximately 7% of the eco-regions area and half of these protected areas are smaller than 100 km. They are: Gautam Buddha Wildlife Sanctuary, Bihar (140 km²; also extends into the Chota Nagpur dry deciduous forests) Udaipur Wildlife Sanctuary, Bihar (50 km²) Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary, Bihar (2,370 km²) Chandra Prabha Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh (80 km²) Rajgir Wildlife Sanctuary, Bihar (290 km²) Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh (120 km²) Valmiki National Park, Bihar (230 km²; also extends into the Himalayan subtropical broadleaf forests) Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary, West Bengal (40 km²) Kabartal Bird Sanctuary, Bihar (30 km²) Ramsagar National Park, Bangladesh (10 km²) Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary, Bihar 160 km²) Nakti Dam Wildlife Sanctuary, Bihar (200 km²) Narendrapur Wildlife Sanctuary, West Bengal (90 km²) Jaldapara National Park, West Bengal (70 km²) Chalan Beel Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh (170 km²) Bil Bhatia Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh (30 km²) Madhupur National Park, Bangladesh (110 km²) Hail Haor Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh (100 km²) Roa Wildlife Sanctuary, Tripura (10 km²) Bhawal National Park, Bangladesh (90 km²) Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh (50 km²) Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary, Tripura (420 km²) Sepahijala Wildlife Sanctuary, Tripura (20 km²) Indo - Gangetic Plain ( 4 )
Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary, Tripura (270 km²) Aila Beel Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh (30 km²) Kawadighi Haor Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh (10 km²) Dakhar Haor Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh (40 km²) Dubriar Haor Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh (20 km²) Erali Beel Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh (10 km²) Hakaluki Haor Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh (160 km²) Kawadighi Haor Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh (20 km²) Kuri Beel Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh (30 km²) Meda Beel Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh (20 km²) Rajkandi Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh (50 km²) Tangua Haor Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh 160 km²) West Bhanugach Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh (50 km²) Hazarikhil Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh (30 km²) Rampahar-Sitapahar Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh (10 km²) Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh (90 km²) Chimbuk Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh (30 km²) Himchari National Park, Bangladesh (20 km²) Teknaf Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh (100 km²) Sangu Matamuhari, Bangladesh (960 km²) Conclusion The Indo-Gangetic Plains are not only the backbone of India, without which feeding our large population would have been impossible, but are also of equal importance to our neighbouring countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc. It is home to so many contrasting climates, cultures, flora and fauna, that protecting its rich heritage is the duty of both the government and people who are dependent on it. If its preservation is not given the due priority, there may come a time in the near future when the most fertile plains in the world may not remain fertile anymore. Indo - Gangetic Plain ( 5 )