Forest rivers....

We know that rivers flow with abundant water due to the rains and melting snows. During rains a lot of water also seeps into the ground and recharges the aquifers. Ground covered with natural vegetation, fallen leaves and soil alive with the activity of myriad organisms, is more porous and allows better percolation, which in turn also helps keep the rivers alive. The roots of trees hold the soil, thus preventing erosion and silting of river beds, which retains their water carrying capacity. No wonder, forests are considered to be the mother of rivers. Our Vedic ancestors knew this very well resulting in the protection of forests in catchment areas and along river courses. Let's take a quick tour through photos that I have clicked over the years of rivers flowing through forests of India.

One of the several rivers originating from the dry deciduous forests of Gir National Park, Gujarat. The presence of such rivers, fed by the forest, is all the more significant in this semi-arid region.

A river flowing through a mixed landscape of forest and agriculture in Theni district, Tamil Nadu, at the base of Sahyadri (Western Ghats) on the eastern side.

A swift flowing river in the verdant forests near Vishalgad fort to the east of Sahyadri in Kolhapur district, Maharashtra.

A river visible from Mumbai-Goa highway in Rajapur taluka, Ratnagiri district in the westward extending foothills of Sahyadri in a mixed landscape of moist deciduous forests and orchards

Vashishthi river originating in the Sahyadri and flowing westward to meet the sea at Dabhol creek in Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra. Seen here is the section near Chiplun. The catchment areas and even the mountains along its course are forested.

Koyna river in Satara district, Maharashtra, that originates in Mahabaleshwar and dammed at Koynanagar, is flanked on both sides by semi-evergreen and evergreen forests in the catchment areas.

Ulhas river in Neral, Raigad district, Maharashtra originates near Khandala amidst evergreen forests and then flows through the lush Ulhas valley at the base of the Sahyadri before entering human dominated landscape.

Karli river photographed from Nerurpar bridge in Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra. It is thickly forested in its catchment areas in Sahyadri and flows through a landscape dominated by moist deciduous forests and orchards, as seen here, before meeting the sea at Malvan.