Bagmati
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Overview
The Bagmati rises in the hills above the Kathmandu valley in Nepal, flows past the city and enters north Bihar. In Bihar it joins the Kamla and then the Kosi system before reaching the Ganga.
It carries heavy silt and changes course often, and its floods regularly affect the districts of north Bihar.
Embankments built to control floods have sometimes worsened waterlogging by trapping silt and water behind them, a common theme in Mains answers on flood management.
Geography and key facts
- Himalayan river of the Ganga basin
- Rises near Kathmandu, Nepal
- Flows through north Bihar
- Flood-prone, frequently shifting channel
Why it matters for UPSC
Learn the north-Bihar rivers from west to east – Gandak, Burhi Gandak, Bagmati, Kamla, Kosi, Mahananda – and their link to the flood problem of the state.
Note for UPSC
Flows from Kathmandu valley into north Bihar.
Prelims asks about tributaries, the states a river flows through, its basin and the projects on it, so trace the course on the map.
Asked in PYQs
No question in our Prelims bank names Bagmati yet.
Key facts
From the Map Explorer data; positions are for orientation.
In the lessons
- Physical Features and Drainage of India (map lesson)
- Drainage Systems of India: Himalayan and Peninsular Rivers (map lesson)
- The Harappan (Indus Valley) Civilisation (map lesson)
- Harappan Civilisation: Sites, Town Planning and Phases (map lesson)
- Mahajanapadas and the Rise of Magadha (map lesson)