Status of Riparian Buffer Zone of River Narmada, India

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES Volume 3, No 1, 2012

© Copyright by the authors - Licensee IPA- Under Creative Commons license 3.0

Research article ISSN 0976 – 4402

Received on June 2012 Published on July 2012 659

Status of Riparian Buffer Zone and floodplain areas of River Narmada,

India Vipin Vyas, Ankit Kumar, Shahnawaz Gani Wani, Vivek Parashar

Department of Environmental Sciences and Limnology, Barkatullah University,

Bhopal, India

[email protected]

doi:10.6088/ijes.2012030131064

ABSTRACT

Riparian buffer zone is an area of trees, usually accompanied by shrubs and other vegetations

along a river, stream or shoreline that is managed to maintain the integrity of the waterway to

reduce pollution and to provide food, habitat and thermal protection for fish and other aquatic

life. They provide an extensive list of benefits to both man and the environment because of

their unique position between land and water. To assess the status of Riparian Buffer Zone

(RBZ) along flood plain areas of a selected reach of river Narmada, an extensive survey was

carried out on left and right banks. The observations made during the survey reveal that RBZs

and floodplain areas were dominated by agricultural practices on both banks. The results

depicted that agricultural practices and human habitation contribute 57.5% and 16.5%

respectively, different types of vegetation like shrubs covers 1.5%, bushes 9.5%, pasture land

7%, barren land 6% and erosion approx 2% which shows that ecological conditions of river is

directly disturbed due to excessive human interventions.

Keywords: River Narmada, Riparian Buffer Zone, Floodplain areas.

1. Introduction

River catchment or drainage basin is the natural unit of landscape, combining the link

between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and it encompasses the entire area of land drained

by various tributaries to the main river. The drainage area bordering the stream is called the

riparian zone and is of critical importance to the function, as well as the protection and

management of a river (Naiman et al., 1993). Riparian zone has dynamic environments

characterised by strong energy regimes, substantial habitat heterogeneity, a diversity of

ecological processes and multidimensional gradients. Riparian buffer zone (RBZ) is an area

of trees, usually accompanied by shrubs and other vegetations along a river, stream or

shoreline that is managed to maintain the integrity of the waterway to reduce pollution and to

provide food, habitat and thermal protection for fish and wild life. The unique ecological

functions of riparian zones are linked to dynamic biophysical processes and interactions

across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Riparian buffer zones help in controlling soil or

sediment erosion, maintaining water quality, provide habitats for different aquatic organisms,

flooding & temperature control and construct a stable river bank. Floodplain areas are

permanently wet area and can be distinguished from land subject to temporary, albeit

sometimes prolonged, inundation resulting directly or indirectly from a rise in river level and

tend to be highly productive ecosystems and have long been utilized for production of food

and fiber and harvest of wild plants and animals. The floodplain is often desirable for farming

and livestock production.

Status of Riparian Buffer Zone and floodplain areas of River Narmada, India

Vipin Vyas et al International Journal of Environmental Sciences Volume 3 No.1, 2012

660

Geographical Information System (GIS) is the computer based systems that can deal with

virtually any type of information about features that can be referenced by geographical

location. These systems are capable of handling both locational and attribute data. Present

study was carried out on the riparian buffer zone including floodplain areas of river Narmada

in a reach stretching from Shahganj to Barandur (Bandua) with an objective to assess the

status of RBZs and floodplain areas with human interventions which affect the riverine

ecosystem.

2. Material and methods

2.1 Study area

River Narmada the fifth largest river, flows through the central province of India rises from a

pond called Narmada Kund at the height of 1057m above mean sea level from the pinnacle of

Maikal hill range at Amarkantak town of Shahdol district in Madhya Pradesh covers the total

length of 1312 kms from its origin to debouch in the gulf of Cambay, Arabian sea, Gujarat

state. Present study was conducted on a selected reach of River Narmada in the central zone

from Sakatpur to Barandur on left bank between 770 48’ 05.5”E to 22

0 50’ 36.9”N and 77

0

36’ 42.00”E to 220 43’ 18.94”N in Hoshangabad district and from Shahganj to Saptdhara on

right bank between 770 48’ 14.3”E to 22

0 50’ 30.2”N and 77

0 36’ 30.35”E to 22

0 43’ 28.67”N

longitude and latitude in Sehore district respectively. Location map of the study area is shown

in figure 1.

Figure 1: Location map of the study area



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2.2 Riparian Buffer Zones (RBZs) and Floodplain Areas

On foot survey was conducted on the left and right bank to assess the status of RBZs and

floodplains areas (Figure2). Study area was divided into four sections for the study (Table 1),

(Figure3).

Figure 2: On foot survey of the study area

Table 1: Four sections of the Study area

Section No. From To Bank Distance (In meters)

1. Shakatpur

Bandrabhan

Magaria

Shahganj

Left

Right 6127 meters

2. Magaria

Railway bridge

Railway bridge

Bandrabhan

Left

Right 12388 meters

3. Railway bridge

Moukalan

Randhal

Railway bridge

Left

Right 6343 meters

4. Randhal

Saptdhara

Barandur

Moukalan

Left

Right 5383 meters

The exact width of a buffer zone required for riparian corridor protection is widely disputed.

Buffer width recommendations found in the literature vary from as little as 25ft to as great as

300ft (Palfrey and Bradley, 1982). During the present study 300ft which is equals to 100m

area of RBZ was taken on left and right bank for the study (Figure4). Riparian data sheet was

prepared as per Stream Channel and Riparian Area Monitoring Guide developed by Montana

Riparian Wetland Association Education Community and Montana Grazing Land

Conservation Initiative. Flow chart of the work is shown in figure5. During study some

parameters were selected for survey to assess the health of RBZs and floodplain areas of the



662

selected reach viz., vegetation, agriculture, human interference, soil erosion, pasture land,

barren land and floodplain areas.

Figure 3: Four sections of the study area

Figure 4: 100 meters of Riparian buffer zones (RBZs) of left and right bank



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Figure 5: Flow chart of the work

2.3 Equipments used

During the survey Digital Camera (Model – Canon DS 1206071, Made in Japan with zoom

lens 1:3.5-5.6 mega pixel), Global Position System (Model – Etrex Vista CX, Garmin, Made

in Taiwan), Measuring Tape and Card Board were used.

2.4 Topographical maps and satellite imagery

Primary information about study area was extracted through Survey of India Topographical

maps and IRS P6 LISS – III FCC, DOP: 12 Feb 2008 satellite imagery procured from

National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), India was used for determining major land use and

land cover classification (Figure 6).

Figure 6: LISS- III satellite imagery of the study area



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2.5 Software used

ERDAS Imagine version 8.7 image analysis software was used for geometric correction of

satellite imagery and topographical maps. Arc GIS / Arc Map version 9.0 vector based

software was used for vector creations. Microsoft Excel 2007 graph based software is used to

create graphs during study.

2.6 Percent calculation

The data was recorded in the form of square meter and was converted into percentage form.

In mathematics, percent is a way of expressing a number as a fraction of 100 (percent

meaning “per hundred” in French). It is often denoted using the percent sign “%” or the

abbreviation “pct”. To find the percentage that a single unit represents out of a whole of N

units, divide 100% by N. The percent is shown by popular diagrams like pie and bar.

2.7 Physico-chemical analysis

The quality of water may be described in terms of concentration and state of some or all of

the organic and inorganic material present in water, together with certain physical

characteristics. Natural influences such as climatic conditions, geological conditions and

hydrological conditions also affect the quantity and quality of water. Human intervention like

agricultural practices, settlements and factories also has significant effects on water quality.

Water samples were collected from some villages located on the bank and confluence points

of some tributaries. Three water quality parameters were analysed during the study i.e.

Chloride (Cl-), Nitrate (NO3

-) and Orthophosphate (PO4

-) using analytical methods as per

Adoni et al., 1985.

3. Results

The study revealed very useful information regarding health of riparian buffer zones and

floodplain areas of the selected reach of River Narmada.

Figure 7: Status of Riparian buffer zone in section- 1



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3.1 Riparian Buffer Zones (RBZs)

Survey of RBZ was done in four sections and all survey parameters were evaluated

accordingly.

3.1.1 Section 1

This section starts from Sakatpur and extends upto Magaria on left bank and Bandrabhan to

Shahganj on right bank. It was found that agricultural activities were dominant on left bank of

this section and on right bank vegetation in the form of shrubs, bushes and gardens were in

dominant position. Barren land was absent on the left bank of the study area (Figure 7).

Water samples were collected from villages near river Narmada of section 1 and were

analysed as per the standard methods (Table 2).

Table 2: Water quality status in section- 1

Village Name Chloride

(mg/l)

Nitrate

(mg/l)

Orthophosphate

(mg/l)

Sakatpur 17 0.781 0.076

Magaria 15.6 0.798 0.068

Jahanpur 18.4 0.482 0.062

Hirani 17 0.462 0.044

Shahganj 17 0.895 0.148

3.1.2 Section 2

Section 2 is the longest area of the study area and is starts from village Magaria to Railway

bridge on left bank and Railway bridge to Bandrabhan village on right bank. On left bank of

the study area maximum human interference was recorded than agricultural activities because

Hoshangabad, only city place of the region covers large human settlements. Whereas,

agriculture activities were in dominant and human interference was less on the right bank.

Budhni was a tehsil place situated there with less human settlements. Pasture and barren land

were absent on left bank (Figure 8).

In section 2 water samples were collected from villages and confluence point of some

tributaries located near river Narmada and analysed as per the standard methods (Table 3).


Village/ Tributary

Name

Chloride

(mg/l)

Nitrate

(mg/l)

Orthophosphate

(mg/l)

Railway Bridge 19.8 1.741 0.148

Gadaria Nala 18.4 0.982 0.152

Gunjari Nala 21.2 0.424 0.064

Bandrabhan 12.7 0.722 0.038



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3.1.3 Section 3

Section 3 starts from Railway bridge to Randhal village on left bank and Moukalan village to

Railway bridge on right bank of the study area. On both banks agriculture activities was in

dominant position, followed by vegetation at second dominant position on both banks. Barren

land and pasture land obtained the same position (Figure 9).


Physico-chemical parameters of collected water samples from villages near river bank were

analysed as per the standard methods (Table 4).



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(mg/l)

Nitrate

(mg/l)

Orthophosphate

(mg/l)

Dongarwara 25.5 1.246 0.268

Hasalpur 19.8 0.896 0.152

3.1.4 Section 4

This was the smallest section of the study area which starts from Randhal village to Barandur

village on left bank and Saptdhara village to Moukalan village on right bank. Agriculture

practice was in dominant position on both banks of this section. Human interference was

absent on left bank but on left bank 1, 25,800 m2 area was occupied by human settlements at

Holipura village on the bank of river Narmada. Pasture land was absent on left bank (Figure

10).


The water quality data of water samples collected from villages near the river in this section

is shown in Table 5.



(mg/l)

Nitrate

(mg/l)

Orthophosphate

(mg/l)

Randhal 22.6 0.542 0.032

Barandur 29.1 0.553 0.185

During survey some plants that grow commonly within study area were identified as trees,

herbs and shrubs is enlisted in Table 6.



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Table 6: List of common plants identified during survey on both banks of the study area

Trees

Family Species Name Common Name

Anacardiaceae Magnifera indica Mango

Boraginaceae Cordia dichotoma Koda, Lisora

Caesalpiriaceae Tamarindus indica Imli

Dipterocarpaceae Shorea robusta Sal

Euphorbiaceae Emblica officinalis Amla

Lamiaceae Tectona grandis Teak

Meliaceae Azardichata indica Neem

Mimosaceae Acacia leucoflea Babul

Moraceae Artocarpus meterophylus Kathal

Moraceae Ficus religiosa Peepal

Myrtaceae Eugenia jambos Jamun

Myrtaceae Psidium quajana Amrood

Papilonaceae Butea monosperms Dhak, Palas

Papilonaceae Dalbergia sisoo Shisham

Rhamnaceae Ziziphus xylopyrus Ber

Rutaceae Aegle marmelos Beel

Sapotaceae Madhuca indica Mohwa

Herbs

Amaranthaceae Achyranthes aspera Chirchita

Amaranthaceae Amaranthus spinosus Prickly amaranth

Apocynaceae Catharanthus roseus Sadhabhar

Apocynaceae Chonemopha macrophylla Moorva

Asclepiadaceae Calotropis procera Akund,

Asteraceae Parthenium hysterophorus Congress grass

Lamiaceae Ocimum basilicum Tulsi

Mimosaceae Mimosa pudica Lajwanti

Papaveraceae Argemone maxicana Yellow poppy

Papilonaceae Crotalaria leschenaultii Jhunjhunia

Rutaceae Murraya koenigii Mithee_Neem

Solanaceae Datura metel Sadadhutara

Shrubs

Apocynaceae Narium oleander Kaner

Convolvulaceae Ipomoea carnea Beshram bel

Euphorbiaceae Jatropa curcus Arand

Musaceae Musa paradisiaca Kela

Papilonaceae Abrus precatorius Ralti

Spindaceae Dodonaea viscosa Vilayati mehandi



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3.2 Floodplain areas

Floodplain areas were studied separately for each section and it was observed that people

were using these areas for common and seasonal agricultural practices of crops (Wheat,

Arhar and Caster), fruits (Watermelon, Muskmelon and Cucumber) and vegetables (Bottle

gourd, Onion, Garlic and Brinjal) shown in figure 11.

Figure 11: Agricultural practices in floodplain areas

Figure 12: Percent status of floodplain areas in the study area



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At Hirani village it was found that floodplain area was totally lost due to construction of

water plant to fulfill drinking water requirement to Bhopal city, capital of Madhya Pradesh.

People were using chemical fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides for production of

agricultural products thereby harming the ecology of River Narmada. In Section 1 floodplain

areas were absent on both banks. In Section 2 on left bank 50% and on right bank 34%

floodplain areas were present. 28% floodplain areas on left bank and 64% on right bank were

recorded in Section 3 during survey. In Section 4, 22% floodplain areas were identified on

left bank and 1% on right bank (Figure 12).

3.3 Discussion

Study was carried out across a width of 100 meters area of Riparian buffer zones of the

selected reach of river Narmada on left and right banks. Much variance was observed on both

during investigation. Some areas were dominated by agricultural practice, human

interferences but fewer areas were wrapped with forests and trees. It was found that in some

areas people were converting forestland to agriculture land. Activities in flood plain areas

directly affect river ecology.

3.3.1 Vegetation

During the investigation vegetation like shrubs, bushes, herbs and trees of moderate size were

recorded. Vegetation in the form of gardens like mango, lemon, guava and vegetables in this

area were documented. In the study area, total 3% vegetation was recorded on left bank and

17% on the right bank. Marc et al., 2004 studied the riparian vegetation of Central Idaho

River of United States of America where lands are managed by the Nez Perce and Payette

National Forests, recorded maximum of 55% and minimum of 29% riparian vegetation.

Bachan, 2003 reported 46% of riparian vegetation along the middle and lower zones of the

Chalakkudy River in Kerala.

3.3.2 Agricultural practices

Agriculture is the most predominant activity noticed in study area; Split Red Gram

(Arhar/Tuvar Dal), Wheat, Rice and Soyabean were cultivated during Kharif and Rabi crop

seasons. On left bank 84% agriculture was reported while on right bank only 36%

agricultural practices were done. Anbumozhi et al., 2005 reported that 68% land was used for

agriculture practices on Tokachikawa watershed in Hokkaido, Japan and Narumalani et al.,

1997 reported that 44% area of Iowa river channel were used for agriculture practices and

lack of riparian buffer zones alongside channels.

3.3.3 Human interference

Beside agriculture other human interferences like construction, soil mining, sand mining,

settlement and conversion of forest land into agriculture through forest fire and deforestation

were noticed in RBZ of the study area. Minimum 9% human interference was recorded on

left bank and maximum 26% was on right bank. According to report submitted to Newton

County Board of Commissioners, Georgia (2009) 56% of major riparian buffer zone in

Alcovy River was residential. Apan et al., 2002 reported that between 1973 and 1997 in the

Lockyer valley catchment of Queensland, Australia 35% to 36% woody vegetation of the

total buffer zone was cleared mainly for pasture and only minor for agricultural crops or

settlement.



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3.3.4 Soil erosion

It is a natural process but it has been increased dramatically by human land use, especially

industrial, agriculture, deforestation and urban sprawl. The area under study however is

relatively safe in terms of soil erosion, only 1% of the area is prone to soil erosion on both

banks. Naiman et al., 1993 found 30% annual soil erosion on agricultural croplands of North

and South Platte rivers.

3.3.5 Pasture land

Riparian zones are always rich in herbs, grasses and seedlings which attract cattle. Grazing is

noticed throughout the study area in identified pasture land. In some places cattle were freely

allowed to graze in the river banks and agricultural land after harvesting. These activities are

a part of livelihood activities of local people. In the study area 2% pasture land was found on

left bank and 11% on right bank. Meynendonckx et al., 2006 reported 29% pasture land in

Scheldt river basin.

3.3.6 Barren land

The land which covers less than one third area of vegetation or other cover is known as

barren land. During the present investigation, minimum 1% of barren land was recorded on

left bank, while maximum 9% was recorded on right bank. Reed and Carpenter 2002 reported

barren land in six south Wisconsin streams viz. Garfoot Creek 0.5%, Brewery Creek 0.7%,

Pheasant Branch 2.3, Yahara River 3.8%, Otter Creek 0.4% and Silver Creek 2.4%

respectively.

3.3.7 Floodplain area

Floodplain areas are flat or nearly flat land adjacent to a stream or river that experiences

occasional or periodic flooding. Flood plain areas were found in the study area and during

investigation it was observed that flood plain areas were disturbed due to agricultural

activities. On both banks 50% of flood plain areas were recorded. Tockner and Stanford

(2002) observed that in Europe and North America up to 90% of floodplains are already

cultivated and therefore functionally extinct. In the developing world remaining natural flood

plains are disappearing at an accelerating rate, primarily as a result of changing hydrology.

3.3.8 Physico-chemical analysis

In the present study, three physico-chemical parameters viz., Chloride, Nitrate and

Orthophosphate nutrients closely related to the riparian buffer zones were analysed. The

concentration of Chloride ranges from 15.6 mg/l to 22.6 mg/l during the study. Anbumozhi et

al., 2005 recorded range of chloride from 15 mg/l to 28 mg/l in Tokachikawa watershed of

Hokkaido, Japan and sub watersheds of Indonesia. Nitrate ranges from 0.424 mg/l to 1.74

mg/l and orthophosphate ranges from 0.032 mg/l to 0.268 mg/l during the investigation. Day

Jr. et al., 2006 found range of Nitrate from 0.007 mg/l to 0.15 mg/l and range of

Orthophosphate from 0.1 mg/l to 0.9 mg/l at riparian zone of Ramos Swamp, Amelia,

Louisiana.



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3.3.9 Overall Status of Riparian Buffer Zone (RBZ)

During the present investigation, it was found that riparian buffer zone is dominated with

agricultural practices and human habitation i.e. 57.5% and 16.5% while different types of

vegetation like shrubs cover 1.5% and bushes 9.5%. Pasture land covers 7%; barren land

covers 6% soil erosion prone area approx 2% in the study area. Major classes of riparian

buffer zone have been categorised through remotely sensed data using GIS software and it

was observed that RBZ of selected reach of river Narmada was totally disturbed (Figure13).

Agriculture runoff from RBZ and flood plain areas directly affects the riverine ecosystem on

large scale. Harmful chemicals, insecticides and pesticides load is harmful and hazardous for

human being and aquatic organisms those are dependent directly or indirectly on the river.

Figure 13: Overall status of Riparian Buffer Zone (RBZ) in the study area

4. Conclusion

No other species than humans has a greater impact on the stability, dynamics, diversity,

composition, structure and functioning on the earth’s communities and ecosystem. No

ecosystem of the earth’s surface is free of pervasive human interventions. Rapidly expanding

investigations of rivers in the context of their catchments and landscapes clearly indicate that

the river ecosystems are strongly affected by human actions across spatial scales. The

influence of surrounding landscape on a river is manifest across multiple scales and is

complicated by legacies from prior human activities. These findings indicate that condition of

RBZ and floodplain areas are alarming and needs some sustainable conservation efforts if the

riverine ecosystem is to be conserved for the future generations.

5. Recommendations

Riparian buffer zone is an area around a stream or another watercourse which has distinctive

vegetation and other characteristics which separate it from the land beyond the riparian zone.

Riparian buffer zones contribute a number of important things to natural environment and

many global agencies are promoting conservation, maintenance and restoration of riparian

zones for benefit of the environment in their regions (Wisegeek.com, 2012). The following



673

recommendations for the restoration of Riparian buffer zone in selected reach of River

Narmada are as under:

1. Riparian forest can be planted by humans for a specific purpose because it provides

habitat for animals as well as an environment which may be more hospitable to some

plant species and help to trap and control non-point pollution, stabilize river banks, to

keep overall temperatures within a comfortable range, to reduce water loss through

evaporation and reducing the risk of flood damage in low-lying areas which may be

located in close proximity to the water..

2. River side forests will be useful for sound land management system that includes nutrient

management, filter sediment from surface runoff and erosion control.

3. Homeowners who live along riverbanks are also encouraged to establish healthy riparian

zones, which will look attractive in addition to raising property values and benefiting the

environment.

4. Government must integrate buffer restoration into state basin plans and watershed plans.

Establishment of intergovernmental funding mechanism that link buffer acquisition to

water quality benefits, coordinates land acquisition efforts with private and nonprofit

organization.

5. Plantation in the barren and eroded land should be done on large scale by collaboration

of government and local people. Dirty pathways along or within buffer zones should be

replaced with grasses way to revitalize riparian zone.

6. NGO’s must take part in the restoration of riparian buffer zones of river Narmada with

the assistance of villagers.

7. Floodplain areas activity should be noted and monitored.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Department of Science and Technology (DST), New Delhi, India for providing

financial assistance as INSPIRE Fellowship. Authors are thankful to Prof. Pradeep

Shrivastava, Head, Department of Zoology and Applied Aquaculture, Barkatullah University,

Bhopal for permission to use remote sensing and GIS software for preparation of maps.

Valuable suggestions given by Mr. Amit Dubey are deeply acknowledged. Thanks to Mr.

Gajanand Dholiya, Mr. Hilal Ahmed Bhat and villagers of the study area who helped us

during field visit.

6. References

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(1985), Workbook on Limnology. Pratibha publishers, Sagar, India, pp 1-127.

2. Anbumozhi V, Radhakrishnan J, Yamaji E, (2005), Impact of riparian buffer zones on

water quality and associated management considerations, Ecological Engineering 24,

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3. Apan A.A, Raine S.R, Paterson M.S, (2002), Mapping and analysis of changes in

the riparian landscape structure of the lockyer valley catchment, Queensland,

Australia. Landscape and Urban Planning, 59(1), pp 43-57.

4. Bachan A.K.H, (2003), Riparian vegetation along the middle and lower zones of the

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674

identification of the residual pockets for conservation), Limnological Association of

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trends. Environmental Conservation, 29 (3), pp 308-330.

15. What is a water course, (2012), available at http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-

watercourse.htm, accessed during May 2012.

Status of Riparian Buffer Zone of River Narmada, India

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