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The Godavari River is the second longest river in India after the river Ganges.〔("Godavari river basin map" )〕 It starts in Maharashtra and flows east for emptying into Bay of Bengal draining the Indian states Maharashtra (48.6%), Telangana and Andhra Pradesh (combined 23.4%), Chhatisgarh (10.9%), Madhya Pradesh (10.0%), Odisha (5.7%) and Karnataka (1.4%) through its extensive network of tributaries. Measuring up to a staggering 3,12,812 km2 , it forms one of the largest river basins in India, only the Ganges and Indus(within Indian borders) rivers have a drainage basin larger than it.〔http://india-wris.nrsc.gov.in/wrpinfo/index.php?title=Basins〕 In terms of length, catchment area and discharge, the Godavari river is the largest in peninsular India and had been dubbed as the 'Dakshina Ganga' - the South Ganges river 〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Dakshina Ganga (Ganga of South India) – River Godavari )〕 The river has been mentioned in Hindu scriptures〔http://www.indianscriptures.com/sacred-places/rivers/godavari-1〕 since many millennia and continues to harbor and nourish rich cultural heritages. In the past few decades, the river has been abused with relentless construction of barrages and dams. The river delta, supporting 729 persons/ km2 - nearly twice the density average for the nation, has been categorized as having substantial risk〔http://www.igbp.net/download/18.62dc35801456272b46d4b/1398850074082/NL82-Deltas_infographic.pdf〕 to greater risk〔http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/Shrinking_and_sinking_delta_major_role_of_Dams_May_2014.pdf〕 of flooding with rising sea levels. The study found that the delta is at a greater risk as the rate of sediment aggradation (raising the level of the delta through sediment deposition) no longer exceeds relative sea-level rise.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Sinking Indian deltas put millions at risk )〕 It further states that the suspended sediment load at the delta has reduced from 150·2 million tons during 1970–1979 to 57·2 million tons by 2000–2006,〔https://sandrp.wordpress.com/2014/11/24/an-introduction-to-godavari-basin/〕 which translates into a three-fold decline in the past 4 decades. Impacts of this can be seen in destroyed villages like Uppada in Godavari delta,〔http://www.iisc.ernet.in/currsci/nov102004/1232.pdf〕 destruction of Mangrove forests and fragmentation of shoreline - possibly a fallout of dam construction. Said to further epitomize the insensitivity towards Godavari, is the Polavaram Project which is touted to be gigantic - both in terms of size and violations.〔http://www.downtoearth.org.in/coverage/polavaram-fraud--33444〕 Deemed as being pointless and politically driven,〔http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/polavaram-dam-works-to-begin-on-oct-22/article7387796.ece〕 the project raises questions about environmental clearance, displacement of upstream human habitations,〔http://www.rediff.com/news/report/telangana-bandh-over-modi-govts-ordinance-on-polavaram/20140529.htm〕 loss of forest cover, technicalities in the dam design which are said to play down flood threats and unsafe embankments. ==Course== The Godavari originates from the Arabian Sea in the Western Ghats of central India near Nasik in Maharashtra. It flows for , first eastwards across the Deccan Plateau then turns southeast, entering the West Godavari district and East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, until it splits into two watercourses that widen into a large river delta and flow into the Bay of Bengal.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Godavari basin status report, March 2014 )〕 The Godavari River has a coverage area of , which is nearly one-tenth of the area of India and is greater than the areas of England and Ireland put together. The river basin is considered to be divided into 3 sections : *upper(source to confluence with Manjira), *middle(between confluence of Manjira and Pranhita) and *lower(Pranhita confluence to mouth). These put together account for 24.2% of the total basin area.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Rivers of Western Ghats )〕 The rivers annual average water inflows are nearly 110 billion cubic meters.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Spatial variation in water supply and demand across river basins of India )〕 Nearly 50% of the water availability is being harnessed. The water allocation from the river among the riparian states are governed by the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal. The river has highest flood flows in India and experienced recorded flood of 3.6 million cusecs in the year 1986 and annual flood of 1.0 million cusecs is normal.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title= When Bhadrachalam was under a sheet of water )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title= Water flow data at Polavaram )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Godavari River」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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