Aghanashini Estuary
Under review: this entry was added recently and its position is still being checked (approximate (nearest town)).
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Overview
The Aghanashini is a short, free-flowing river of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka. Near Kumta it widens into an estuary where fresh water from the Western Ghats mixes with the Arabian Sea.
The estuary supports mangroves, traditional salt-tolerant paddy (gazni) fields, clam and oyster collection and shrimp farming, and it shelters many wintering waterbirds. It was designated a Ramsar site in 2023 and announced in early 2024.
The river has no large dam along its course, so its natural flow and sediment still reach the estuary, which keeps the mangroves and shellfish beds productive.
Geography and key facts
- Estuary of the west-flowing Aghanashini river, Uttara Kannada, Karnataka
- Mouth near Kumta on the Arabian Sea coast
- Mangroves, mudflats and gazni rice fields
- Ramsar site (designated 2023)
Why it matters for UPSC
A newer Ramsar site: learn it with the other Karnataka wetlands (Ranganathittu, Ankasamudra, Magadi Kere) for state-matching questions on wetlands.
Note for UPSC
Ramsar site (wetland of international importance), Karnataka. Placed at the nearest town (Kumta); exact site not found.
Ramsar sites come up as wetland–state pairs and in questions on conservation status.
Asked in PYQs
No question in our Prelims bank names Aghanashini Estuary yet.
Key facts
- Type
- Ramsar site
- State / UT
- Karnataka
- Coordinates
- 14.437°N, 74.421°E
From the Map Explorer data; positions are for orientation.
In the lessons
- Forests, Wetlands, Mangroves and Coral Reefs (map lesson)