Rivers:
The pristine rivers of Himachal Pradesh are Chandrabhaga or the Chenab, the Ravi, the Beas, the Sutlej and the Yamuna. These perennial rivers are fed by snow and rainfall and are protected by a fairly extensive cover of natural vegetation. The hills of Himachal Pradesh provide water to both the Indus and Ganges basins.
The Beas originates in the Pir Panjal range near the Rohtang Pass and flows some 256 km in Himachal. The river is formed by a number
of tributaries, the important being the Parbati, the Hurla, the Sainj,
the Uhl, the Suheti, the Luni, the Banganga and the Chaki.
The
Chandrabhaga or Chenab is the largest river (in volume of water) formed
after the meeting of 2 streams, Chandra and Bhaga at Tundi, in Lahul.
The river flows a distance of 122 kms and has a catchment area of 7500
sq. km in Himachal, before entering Kashmir.
The
Ravi originates from Bara Banghal (Kangra district) as a joint stream
formed by the glacier fed Bhadal and Tantgari. The river flows a
distance of about 158km and has a catchments area of about 5451sq. km.
River Sutlej originates in distant Tibet. It cuts through both the great Himalayan and the Zaskar ranges and crosses the Indo-Tibetan border near Shipkila. Then the river Spiti joins it from the north.
Passing through precipitous gorges and narrow valleys it emerges from
the mountains at Bhakra. The catchment area of Sutlej in Himachal is
20,000 sq.km.
The river Yamuna originates from Yamunotri in Uttar Kashi (Uttar Pradesh). Its total catchment area in Himachal is 2320 sq.km. Its main tributaries are the Tons, the Giri and the Bata.
The major lakes of Himachal Pradesh
include Renuka, Rewalsar, Khajjiar, Dal, Beas Kund, Dasaur, Brighu,
Prashar, Mani Mahesh, Chander Tal, Suraj Tal, Kareri, Sreolsar, Gobind
Sagar and Nako.
Forests: Himachal Pradesh
is blessed with a huge area under green forests. A total area under
forest is about 21,325 sq. km i.e. about 38.3 % of the total
geographical area of the state. Earlier forests were considered as the
main source of income of the state and were exploited very heavily. Now
the stress has shifted from exploitation to conservation. Forests have
become a national property. Felling of trees and sale of timber is now
conducted only by the State Forest Corporation. The State Forest
Department mostly concerns itself with planting and conservation of
forests. A World Bank assisted
Social Forestry Project has been launched in the state. The aim of this
project is to raise fuel, fodder and small timber species to meet the
basic necessities of the people so that they do not resort to depletion
of forests for fulfilling these needs.
The forests of Himachal Pradesh
are rich in vascular flora, which forms the conspicuous vegetation
cover. Out of total 45,000 species of plants found in the country as
many as 3,295 species (7.32%) are found in the State. More than 95% of
species are endemic to Himachal and characteristic of Western Himalayan flora, while about 5% (150 species) are exotic introduced over the last 150 years.
Legal Classification of Forest
| Category | Area (Km²) | Percentage |
| 1. Reserved Forests | 1896 | 5.12 |
| 2. Demarcated Protected Forests | 11387 | 30.75 |
| 3. Un-demarcated Protected Forests | 21656 | 58.48 |
| 4. Unclassed Forests | 976 | 2.63 |
| 5. Others (managed by ForestDept.) | 370 | 1 |
| 6. Not managed by ForestDepartment. | 748 | 2.02 |
| Total | 37033 | 100 |
Source: H. P. Forest Department
Forest Types in Himachal Pradesh- Moist Tropical Forests
- Dry Tropical Forests
- Montane Sub-Tropical Forests
- Montane Temperate Forests
- Sub-Alpine Forests
- Alpine Scrub
Source: H. P. Forest Department Minerals:
Himachal Pradesh is poor in mineral deposits. The state accounts for
only 0.2% of the output of minerals in the country. There are some
deposits of limestone (light grade), quartzite, brass, sand, gold,
pyrites, copper, rock salt, slates, natural oil, gas & mica, barytes
and gypsum which are commercially valuable. Other than that, there is
nothing much of significance.