KANAI SINK

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 30/03/2016

A jumble of boulders and flood debris at the downstream end of a blind valley indicates where the Kanai disappears in sinks offering a few subterranean crawls to chokes impenetrable for the majority of human sized adventure tourists. SITUATION: The »Kanai Nala Sink(s) is … best approached by an inconspicuous footpath« off west from the motorable fair weather road), which ascends from the »Foresters' Office (Hatisia Beat, Mahadeo Range« at the entrance to the Balphakram (Balpakram) National Park to the Jawaharlal Nehru Helipad: Estimated 6 km from the offices, and »… just past a small village on the left [west], a track [footpath] also on the left (west) drops steeply down through forest to emerge on the bank of the Kanai Nala [and at a spot] adjacent to a clean washed slab in the river bed down which the river plunges into a large pool. The Kanai Nala Sink(s) are situated approximately 40 and 100 m downstream« (BROOKS & SMART 1995: 45). DESCRIPTION: Instead of a »slab in the river bed« (BROOKS & SMART 1995: 45), I saw there (1994.02.20) the lively waters of Kanai rushing across a clean-washed exposure of water-worn sandstone, and eventually coming to an apparent standstill at the head of a series of consecutive sinks in a level riverbed of pebbles and sand (dry in February 1994) that swings around a fluvioventral hillock (in German: Umlaufberg), the remnant of a former river terrace. At several places accumulations of spate deposited vegetable debris decomposes (watch out for pythons) and indicates the clogged spots where high waters disappear from the surface during spates. The downstream end of the blind valley is barred by a low, grass covered ridge. According to BROOKS & SMART (1995: 45), »… water can be head flowing through the boulders but it was not possible (February 1994) to find a way through.« CAVE POTENTIAL: Parts of the upper reaches were searched but only –>Kanai Nala Cave was found.