# Nullah

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{{Short description|Steep, narrow valley}}
{{other uses}}
[[File:Nullah_Between_Mane_Villages_Spiti_Jun18_DSC05448.jpg|thumb|A nullah in [Spiti](/source/Spiti), [India](/source/India)]]
A '''nullah''' or '''nala''' ([Hindustani](/source/Hindustani_language) or "nallah" in [Punjabi](/source/Punjabi_language)) is an 'arm of the sea', [stream](/source/stream), or [watercourse](/source/watercourse), a steep narrow [valley](/source/valley). Like the [wadi](/source/wadi) of the [Arabs](/source/Arabs), the nullah is characteristic of mountainous or hilly country where there is little rainfall.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}

In the drier parts of [India](/source/India) and [Pakistan](/source/Pakistan), and in many parts of [Australia](/source/Australia), there are small steep-sided valleys penetrating the hills, clothed with rough brushwood or small trees growing in the stony soil. During occasional heavy rains, torrents rush down the nullahs and quickly disappear. There is little local action upon the sides, while the bed is lowered, and consequently these valleys are narrow and steep.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} In cities on the [Delhi](/source/Delhi) plain in India, nullahs are concrete or brick-lined ditches about {{convert|3|m|0}} deep and {{convert|6|m}} wide, used to divert [monsoon](/source/monsoon) rain away from the cities.

Encroachment into nullahs is a significant problem in many South Asian cities, since it hampers the drainage of [stormwater](/source/stormwater) and can exacerbate [flood](/source/flood)s.<ref>{{Cite web|date=15 October 2020|title=Outdated stormwater system and encroached nullahs increase risk of 'urban flooding' in Pune|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/outdated-stormwater-system-and-encroached-nullahs-increase-risk-of-urban-flooding-in-pune-4890979/|access-date=2020-10-30|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=19 October 2020|title='Encroachment of nalas led to flooding in Hyderabad'|url=https://telanganatoday.com/encroachment-of-nalas-led-to-flooding-in-hyderabad|access-date=2020-10-30|website=Telangana Today|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=21 August 2020|title=Illegal constructions, Nala encroachments led to floods in Karimnagar|url=https://www.siasat.com/illegal-constructions-nala-encroachments-led-to-floods-in-karimnagar-1953212/|access-date=2020-10-30|website=The Siasat Daily|language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Canal==
In  [East Asia](/source/East_Asia), a nullah ({{lang-zh|c=明渠|p=míngqú|w=ming<sup>2</sup>-chʻü<sup>2</sup>|l=open [ditch](/source/ditch)|j=ming<sup>4</sup> keoi<sup>4</sup>}}) refers to an open, usually concrete-lined [flood control channel](/source/flood_control_channel) designed to allow rapid [drainage](/source/drainage) of stormwater or a [sewerage](/source/sewerage) channel for [industrial wastewater](/source/industrial_wastewater) from high ground, to prevent flooding or [stagnation](/source/stagnant_water) in urbanised coastal areas,<ref name=FYI>{{cite news|title=FYI: Why do some Hong Kong street names seem to have no connection to the area they are in?|url=https://www.scmp.com/article/623667/fyi-why-do-some-hong-kong-street-names-seem-have-no-connection-area-they-are|date=January 20, 2008|access-date=January 8, 2014|first=Jason|last=Wordie|page=10|newspaper=South China Morning Post}} '''{{subscription required}}'''</ref> and is an often dry [canal](/source/canal) used as a reserve drain. One such example is the [Kai Tak Nullah](/source/Kai_Tak_Nullah) in [Hong Kong](/source/Hong_Kong).{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

== List of nullahs ==

* [Lai Nullah](/source/Lai_Nullah)
* [Yuen Long Nullah](/source/Yuen_Long_Nullah)
* [Kai Tak Nullah](/source/Kai_Tak_Nullah)
* [Charding Nullah](/source/Charding_Nullah)
* [Tai Wai Nullah](/source/Tai_Wai_Nullah)
* [Fo Tan Nullah](/source/Fo_Tan_Nullah)
* [Siu Lek Yuen Nullah](/source/Siu_Lek_Yuen_Nullah)
* [Tai Hang Nullah](/source/Tai_Hang_Nullah)
* [Staunton Creek Nullah](/source/Staunton_Creek_Nullah)
* [Buddha Nullah](/source/Buddha_Nullah)
* [Otteri Nullah](/source/Otteri_Nullah)

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{wiktionary}}
'''Attribution:'''
*{{EB1911|wstitle=Nullah|volume=19|page=846}}

Category:Valleys
Category:Hindi words and phrases
Category:Landforms of India
Category:Indian English idioms
Category:Water in India
Category:Urdu words and phrases
Category:Landforms of Pakistan

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Nullah](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nullah) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nullah?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.