Pariksha SaathiLesson 6 of 10 · Haryana General Knowledge
Rivers, Canals and Lakes of Haryana
Drafted with AI assistance and fact-checked on 28 October 2026; not yet read line by line by a human editor. Spotted a mistake? Tell us. Editorial standards & corrections
A land of seasonal rivers
Haryana has only one perennial river, the Yamuna. All the others are seasonal, rain-fed streams that rise in the Shivaliks or the Aravallis, run full in the monsoon and shrink or dry up for the rest of the year; many never reach the sea and fade out in the sandy plains. The drainage falls into two parts: the Yamuna system in the east, which belongs to the Ganga basin, and the inland Ghaggar system in the north and west, linked with the ancient Saraswati. Because rivers are few, farming depends on canals and tubewells.
The Yamuna
The Yamuna rises at the Yamunotri glacier in Uttarakhand and enters Haryana in Yamunanagar district, where the Hathnikund barrage, which replaced the older Tajewala headworks, diverts its water into the Western Yamuna Canal and into Uttar Pradesh's Eastern Yamuna Canal. It then flows south along the eastern boundary past Yamunanagar, Karnal, Panipat and Sonipat, passes through Delhi and runs past Faridabad and Palwal before leaving for Uttar Pradesh. Its low floodplain is fertile but floods in heavy monsoons.
The Ghaggar and its streams
The Ghaggar rises in the Shivalik hills of Himachal Pradesh, enters Haryana near Panchkula, loops through Punjab and then flows south-west through Fatehabad and Sirsa before fading into the sands of Rajasthan; its dry continuation downstream is called the Hakra, so the whole system is known as the Ghaggar-Hakra. It is widely identified with the Vedic Saraswati. The Ottu barrage near Sirsa stores its water in the Ottu reservoir and feeds local canals. Its streams include the Kaushalya, which has a dam near Pinjore, the Tangri, which flows past Ambala Cantonment, and the Markanda, which rises in Himachal Pradesh and passes Shahabad. The Saraswati of tradition rises at Adi Badri in Yamunanagar district, and the Chautang, the Drishadvati of the Vedas, crosses the north-central plain.
Rivers of the south
In the south the streams rise in the Aravallis of Rajasthan. The Sahibi enters through Rewari district, where the Masani barrage stands on it, flows north-east towards Delhi and continues there as the Najafgarh drain, which joins the Yamuna. The Dohan and the Krishnavati flow through Mahendragarh district. All of them are dry for most of the year.
Canals
The Western Yamuna Canal, which takes off at Hathnikund, is the oldest canal system in the region. Its origin is the canal Firoz Shah Tughlaq dug in the 14th century to water Hisar; under Shah Jahan, Ali Mardan Khan restored it to carry water to Delhi; and the British rebuilt it in the 19th century. Its main branches are the Delhi, Hansi and Sirsa branches. The Bhakra canal system brings Sutlej water from the Bhakra-Nangal project: the Bhakra Main Line enters Haryana and irrigates the dry north-western districts such as Sirsa, Fatehabad and Hisar, and the project is run by the Bhakra Beas Management Board. Lift irrigation schemes, such as the Jawaharlal Nehru lift scheme, raise water to the higher, dry lands of the south, and the Agra Canal from the Okhla barrage serves Faridabad and Palwal.
The SYL canal issue
The Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal was planned to carry Haryana's share of the surplus Ravi-Beas waters from the Sutlej into the Yamuna system. It is 214 km long, 122 km in Punjab and 92 km in Haryana. Haryana completed its part, but Punjab's section was left unfinished. The foundation stone was laid at Kapoori in Patiala district in 1982, after a water-sharing agreement of 1981; Punjab later passed the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004, which the Supreme Court held invalid in 2016 in its opinion on a Presidential reference. The dispute has dragged on for decades, so exams ask about its length, route and the states involved rather than an outcome.
Lakes and sacred tanks
Most of Haryana's lakes are artificial or seasonal. Badkhal Lake in Faridabad was long a popular boating lake, while nearby Surajkund is an ancient stepped, amphitheatre-shaped reservoir attributed to the Tomar king Surajpal. Damdama Lake lies near Sohna in Gurugram district, Tilyar Lake at Rohtak has a zoo beside it, Karna Lake at Karnal is named after Karna of the Mahabharata, and Blue Bird Lake is at Hisar. At Kurukshetra, Brahma Sarovar and Sannihit Sarovar are huge sacred tanks where lakhs of pilgrims bathe during solar eclipses, and the Tikkar Tal lakes lie in the Morni hills.
Key facts
- The Yamuna is Haryana's only perennial river; it enters at Yamunanagar, forms the eastern boundary with Uttar Pradesh and feeds the Western Yamuna Canal at the Hathnikund barrage (successor to Tajewala).
- Western Yamuna Canal: begun by Firoz Shah Tughlaq (14th century) to water Hisar, restored by Ali Mardan Khan under Shah Jahan, rebuilt by the British; Delhi, Hansi and Sirsa branches.
- Ghaggar: rises in the Shivaliks of Himachal Pradesh, enters near Panchkula, fades out in Rajasthan, its dry continuation being the Hakra; Ottu barrage near Sirsa; streams Kaushalya, Tangri and Markanda.
- Sahibi: rises in the Aravallis of Rajasthan, Masani barrage in Rewari, reaches Delhi as the Najafgarh drain. The Dohan and Krishnavati flow through Mahendragarh.
- Bhakra Main Line: brings Sutlej water from the Bhakra-Nangal project to Sirsa, Fatehabad and Hisar; managed by the Bhakra Beas Management Board.
- SYL canal: 214 km (122 km in Punjab, 92 km in Haryana); foundation stone at Kapoori (1982); Haryana's part built, Punjab's left unfinished; Punjab's 2004 Act held invalid by the Supreme Court (2016).
- Lakes by district: Badkhal and Surajkund (Faridabad), Damdama (Gurugram, near Sohna), Tilyar (Rohtak), Karna Lake (Karnal), Blue Bird (Hisar), Tikkar Tal (Morni, Panchkula).
- Brahma Sarovar and Sannihit Sarovar (Kurukshetra): sacred tanks where pilgrims bathe during solar eclipses. Adi Badri (Yamunanagar) is the traditional source of the Saraswati.
Quick revision
Yamuna only perennial river, enters at Yamunanagar, Hathnikund barrage (replaced Tajewala); Western Yamuna Canal (Firoz Shah Tughlaq, Ali Mardan Khan, British; Delhi, Hansi, Sirsa branches); Ghaggar (Ghaggar-Hakra system, Ottu barrage, Kaushalya, Tangri, Markanda); Sahibi (Masani barrage, Najafgarh drain); Bhakra Main Line, BBMB; SYL 214 km (122 Punjab, 92 Haryana), Kapoori 1982, long-running dispute; lakes Badkhal, Surajkund, Damdama, Tilyar, Karna, Blue Bird; Brahma Sarovar.