Damodar River, Major river system in Jharkhand and West Bengal, India.
The Damodar begins at Khamarpat Hill on the Chotanagpur Plateau and flows 592 kilometers before joining the Hooghly near Kolkata. It crosses eight districts in Jharkhand and seven in West Bengal, forming a river system with many tributaries along the way.
Between 1770 and 1943, the river repeatedly caused severe flooding across Bengal, earning it the name Sorrow of Bengal. The creation of the Damodar Valley Corporation after independence led to the construction of several dams for flood management.
The Damodar Valley features numerous songs and traditional tales from local communities that describe their centuries-long relationship with the seasonal water patterns.
The river basin includes several dams managed by the Damodar Valley Corporation, providing irrigation and power generation. Access to different sections is possible via roads running through the districts of Jharkhand and West Bengal.
The river basin sits above major coal deposits at Jharia, Raniganj, and Giridih, some of the largest reserves in India. This geological feature turned the region into a mining center since the 19th century.
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