Lower Narmada Research Articles

Optimization of Manning's roughness coefficient using 1-dimensional hydrodynamic modelling in the perennial river system: A case of lower Narmada Basin, India.

This research bears significant implications for river management, flood forecasting, and ecosystem preservation in the Lower Narmada Basin. A more precise estimation of Manning's Roughness Coefficeint (n) will enhance the accuracy of hydraulic models and facilitate informed decision-making regarding flood risk management, water resource allocation, and environmental conservation efforts. Ultimately, this study aspires to contribute to the sustainable management of perennial river systems in India and beyond by offering a robust methodology for optimizing Manning's n tailored to the complex hydrological dynamics of the Lower Narmada Basin. Through a synthesis of empirical evidence and computational modelling, it seeks to empower stakeholders with actionable insights toward preserving and enhancing these invaluable natural resources. Using the new HEC-RAS v 6.0, a one-dimensional hydrodynamic model was developed to predict overbank discharge at different points along the basin. The study analyzes water levels, stream discharges, and river stage, optimizing Manning's n and required flood risk management. The model predicted a strong output agreement with R2, NSE, and RMSE for the 2020 eventas 0.83, 0.81, and 0.36, respectively, with an optimum Manning's n of 0.03. The lower Narmada Basin part near the coastal zone (validation point) appears inundated frequently. The paper aims to provide insights into optimizing Manning's coefficient, which can ultimately lead to better water flow predictions and more efficient water management in the region.

Potential faunal evidence for western epicontinental seaway along the Narmada rift in peninsular India during the latest Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)

The pathways of marine incursions into central India around the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) transition are a matter of ongoing debate. While there is a general consensus regarding marine incursions from the southeast coast of India along the Godavari rift, it is still highly controversial as to whether such incursions also took place from the western margin, along the Narmada-Tapti rift. Here we report the first fossil evidence (batoid and pycnodontid fishes) suggesting potential marine influences during the deposition of freshwater Deccan intertrappean sediments (late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian) in the lower Narmada valley of west-central peninsular India. The discovery of several isolated teeth of the stingray genus Igdabatis (I. indicus) along with a pycnodontid tooth in a predominantly freshwater intertrappean section at Mohanpura, district Dhar (Madhya Pradesh state) is significant, especially since living myliobatids are essential inhabitants of coastal marine ecosystems. Similar previously recorded occurrences of Igdabatis and pycnodontids from several other Maastrichtian infra- and intertrappean localities on the eastern and southeastern fringes of the Deccan Volcanic Province have been interpreted as evidence of marine incursions from India's eastern margin along the Godavari rift. The present records from district Dhar tentatively suggest the existence of a nearby epicontinental seaway (the Narmada Seaway) during the Maastrichtian. The Narmada Seaway extended hundreds of kilometres inland from India's western margin, beginning in the late Cenomanian with the deposition of long known Bagh Beds and continuing intermittently until the early Paleocene (Danian, Zone P1a).

A freshwater ostracod assemblage from the Kesavi intertrappean beds (latest Cretaceous/earliest Paleocene) of lower Narmada Valley, Malwa Sub-province of Deccan Traps, Dhar District, Madhya Pradesh, India

We here report a new freshwater ostracod assemblage comprising 11 species ( Frambocythere tumiensis anjarensis, Gomphocythere paucisulcatus, G. strangulata, Limnocythere deccanensis, Zonocypris spirula, Eucypris intervolcanus, Cypria cyrtonidion, Stenocypris cylindrical, Cypridopsis hyperectyphos, Candona amosi, Eucypris sp.) from a newly discovered intertrappean locality at Kesavi, Dhar District, Madhya Pradesh. This locality lies in the lower Narmada Valley of Malwa sub-province, a poorly studied region of the Deccan Traps volcanic province of peninsular India compared to the other volcanic sub-provinces. The ostracod assemblage from Kesavi is similar to those known from different parts of the Deccan volcanic province and lacks any brackish or marine elements. The endobenthic crawler Frambocythere tumiensis dominates the assemblage, indicating a lacustrine freshwater depositional environment.

Variability in trends of streamflow and precipitation in the Narmada River Basin over the past four decades

AbstractHydrological climate variables such as precipitation, temperature, humidity, evapotranspiration, infiltration, and streamflow provide useful information for the effective planning, design, and management of water resources. In the present study, monthly precipitation and streamflow data were analyzed to assess the variability in trends of precipitation over the Upper Narmada Basin (UNB), Middle Narmada Basin (MNB), and Lower Narmada Basin (LNB) for 41 years (1981–2021) using the widely accepted Mann–Kendall Test (MKT), Innovative Trend Analysis (ITA), and magnitude by Sen's Slope estimator, thereby extending further by a decade, the last study by Thomas and others in 2015. The inclusion of more factors affecting the streamflow in response to the rainfall often makes the model very complex and unreliable. In the present study, to overcome this limitation, a simple yet most definite correlation was established between rainfall and streamflow, which can serve as a meaningful indicator of basin behavior. Poor correlation was observed for the UNB and the MNB compared to the LNB, which may be attributed to the presence of tributaries. The result of this study will be helpful to policymakers and water resource managers to plan and adopt suitable schemes of water conservation and management in the Narmada basin.

New Late Cretaceous titanosaur sauropod dinosaur egg clutches from lower Narmada valley, India: Palaeobiology and taphonomy.

The Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Lameta Formation is well-known for its osteological and oological remains of sauropods from the eastern and western parts of the Narmada Valley, central India. The newly documented ninety-two titanosaur clutches from Dhar District (Madhya Pradesh State, central India) add further to this extensive data. Previously parataxonomy of these titanosaur clutches was carried out with a few brief reports on palaeobiological and taphonomic aspects. The quantitative data collected from the new clutches (this study) opens avenues to additionally understand more about titanosaur palaeobiology and to qualitatively understand preservation and taphonomical aspects of their egg clutches. Herein, we document 256 eggs and three clutch patterns (viz. circular, combination, linear) that are assignable to six oospecies. The high oospecies diversity points to a possible high diversity in titanosaur taxa in the Indian sub-continent though it is not reflected in titanosaurid body fossils. All the macro- and micro-structures helped in understanding egg deformation and preservation from a taphonomic point of view. Additionally, a pathologic egg documented from the study area helped in understanding the reproductive biology of titanosaurs, such as the possibility of segmented oviduct and sequential laying of eggs by titanosaurs. In addition, we made an attempt to infer aspects such as egg burial, absence of parental care, colonial nesting behavior. All the egg clutches were observed within sandy limestone and calcareous sandstone lithologies that occur in scattered outcrops with rocks showing floating siliciclastic grains in a micritic groundmass. Further, the presence of ferruginous sandstone in the Jamniapura and Padlya regions (Dhar District, central India) is indicative of a possible alluvial/fluvial setting. The presence of grainy intraclastic fabric, alveolar-septal fabrics, brecciation and shrinkage cracks observed in the clutch-bearing rocks are indicative of a low energy-low gradient palustrine depositional condition in a fluvial/alluvial setting. Finally, we envisage that a few egg clutches of this area were laid close to lake/pond margins while most were laid away from the lake/pond margins, and thus, were hatched.

Taxonomy, biostratigraphy and paleoecology of non-marine ostracod fauna of the Maastrichtian intertrappean beds of the lower Narmada Basin, Malwa Plateau, India

Paleontological investigations in the Late Cretaceous sedimentary units associated with Deccan traps of the lower Narmada valley, western Central India were carried out in order to ascertain ostracod diversity and its biostratigraphic and paleoecological implications. Eighteen species of twelve genera of Cytheroidea, Darwinuloidea and Cypridoidea ostracods recovered from four sections of the Deccan intertrappean beds are described. The species include the specimens from two new intertrappean sections, Kakarda and Bara Bheralya and additional ostracod taxa recorded from two previously studied sections, Gujri and Uthawali. The biostratigraphic, taphonomic and paleoecological analysis of the newely recovered ostracod assemblage in conjunction with the recent published data from the study area depict Maastrichtian age and freshwater fluvio-lacustrine environment for the studied sections.

Indicators of Holocene high-stage flood events and tributary confluence migration in the lower Narmada Basin, western India

Indicators of Holocene high-stage flood events and tributary confluence migration in the lower Narmada Basin, western India

Fossil lizards from the Deccan intertrappean beds (latest Cretaceous / earliest Paleocene) of lower Narmada basin, Malwa Plateau, India

ABSTRACT We here report on the first lizard fossils from the Deccan intertrappean strata (latest Cretaceous/Palaeocene) exposed at Kesavi, District Dhar in the Malwa Plateau of lower Narmada Valley, central India. The material is only fragmentary, but tentatively three tooth morphotypes of non-acrodontan lizards can be identified. Besides these, two oblong osteoderms, resembling paramacellodid osteoderms, are described as Squamata indet. The 4th isolated tooth is questionably referred to Squamata. Although the intertrappean deposits of the Deccan volcanic province have been explored for over three decades, lizards are scarce and many aspects remain unclear. However, the tentative absence of agamids in Kesavi and other localities yielding pre-Eocene deposits (e.g., Naskal and Kisalpuri) appears to be interesting, because a high diversity of agamids has been reported from early Eocene localities of India. There is, in contrast, a total absence of non-acrodontan lizards. The contrast between pre-Eocene and Eocene localities seems to be puzzling in the context of India’s supposed physical isolation from Asia during this time. Only future researches can shed light on that. Although the material described here brings only limited new insight, it supports that non-acrodontan lizards were present in India during the latest Cretaceous/earliest Palaeocene.

Flood risk mapping for the lower Narmada basin in India: a machine learning and IoT-based framework

Flood risk mapping for the lower Narmada basin in India: a machine learning and IoT-based framework

Trend analysis of hydro-meteorological parameters and influence of anthropogenic activities in lower Narmada River basin, India

This research aims to assess the changes that have occurred over a time in hydro-meteorological parameters over Lower Narmada River basin (LNRB) in India. The spatio-temporal trend distribution of rainfall for three data span 1962–2013, 1975–2013, 1998–2013, and maximum (max.) and minimum (min.) temperature at annual-scale for time span 1979–2013 have been represented over LNRB. The spatial distribution of these trends is associated with land use and land cover (LULC) and its changes and the local dynamics and anthropogenic activities of the region. Spatial-temporal distribution of trend of annual rainfall has shown that positive and higher trend rate proliferates in the LNRB in the time series 1998–2013. The trend rate (mm/year) in LNRB for annual rainfall is 0.84, −1.1, and 2.69 in time series 1962–2013, 1975–2013, and 1998–2013 respectively. Annual max. and min. temperature has shown 0.05° and 0.15 °C increase per decade respectively. Associating LULC of the region, it is revealed that temperature trends tend to create moderate climatic conditions on the area adjacent to sea in the region. Further, it is concluded that the forest area of the region, resists the changes related to temperature. The industrial center in the study area has shown a negative trend of annual rainfall.

Flood frequency analysis and inundation mapping for lower Narmada basin, India

Abstract Floods are one of the world's most destructive natural disasters, taking more lives and causing more infrastructural damage than any other natural phenomenon. Floods have a significant economic, social, and environmental impact in developing countries like India. As a result, it is essential to address this natural disaster to mitigate its effects. The lower Narmada basin has experienced numerous floods, including severe flooding in 1970, 1973, 1984, 1990, 1994, and 2013. The objective of the present study is to use flood frequency analysis to anticipate peak floods and prepare flood inundation maps for the lower Narmada River reach. The flood frequency analysis was carried out using Gumbel's and Log-Pearson Type III Distribution methods. The hydrodynamic simulation was performed using HEC-RAS v6.0 to prepare flood inundation maps for predicted flood peaks. The result shows that the Log-Pearson Type-III distribution method gives good results for the lower return period while Gumbel's method gives good results for the higher return period. The hydrodynamic model results indicate that as the return period increases, the area of the high-risk zone increases while the area of the low-risk zone remains almost constant. The present study concludes that the existing embankment system on the banks of the Narmada River is not sufficient for significant floods. The developed maps will be helpful to government authorities and individual stakeholders to decide the flood mitigation measures.

Amended lithostratigraphy of the Cretaceous Bagh Group, Western Lower Narmada Valley, India: A comparison with pervasive Tethyan basins

The evolution of the Narmada, Saurashtra, and Kachchh basins in the western margin of the Indian Craton is associated with the Middle Jurassic segmentation of Gondwana. The Narmada Basin was evolved during the Early Cretaceous and preserved a thick clastic and non‐clastic sequence of the Bagh Group. The succession lies unconformably on the Precambrian rocks, and a complete sequence is exposed in the Western Lower Narmada Valley (WLNV). Until now, it has been described using various informal lithostratigraphic units emphasizing local lithic characters, which have no relevance with the stratotypes and do not fit into the concept of the International Subcommission on Stratigraphic Classification (ISSC). In the present study, the Bagh Group succession is mapped across the Lower Narmada Valley (LNV) and correlated between sections. The units in WLNV were revised and redefined assigning the stratotypes as per the ISSC. The amended lithostratigraphy of the Bagh Group comprises five formations, viz. Songir, Vajepur, Bilthana, Nodular Limestone, and Uchad. The Uchad Formation is a newly recognized youngest unit and is subdivided into the Narmada sandstone and the Men Nadi Limestone members. The lithological and palaeontological evidences indicate that the Bagh Group succession of the WLNV developed in a fluvio‐marine environment during the Berriasian? (Neocomian) to Coniacian age. The Cretaceous succession of the WLNV is also compared with the pervasive Tethyan basins, including the Eastern Desert (Egypt), Saurashtra–Kachchh (India), Mahajanga (Madagascar), and Carnarvon (Australia). The Albian–Coniacian lithostratigraphy of the Narmada Basin is comparable to the Eastern Desert, although located at different palaeolatitudes, which suggest similar eustatic and tectonic conditions. It also shows a similar sedimentation pattern compared with the adjoining Saurashtra Basin during the Cenomanian–Coniacian. However, it differs from the Kachchh, Mahajanga, and Carnarvon basins, which can be attributed to different palaeolatitudes, as well as the development of rift‐related events. The deposition of the Bagh Group in WLNV terminated with the separation of the Indian Plate from Madagascar and the outpouring of flood basalts during the Coniacian.

Carbon isotopic and biochemical fingerprints of sedimentary organic matter in lower Narmada and Tapi rivers, north-west coast of India

ABSTRACTSources of organic matter (OM) in lower Narmada and Tapi river-estuaries were examined using organic carbon to nitrogen ratio (Corg/N), stable carbon isotope ratio (δ13Corg) and lignin phenol biomarkers. The signature of lower Corg (av. 0.50%) and higher δ13Corg (av. –20.3‰) in Narmada and, higher Corg (av. 0.85%) and lower δ13Corg (av. –22.8‰) in Tapi highlight the difference in OM characteristics of both systems, nevertheless they flow adjacent to each other. The OM in Tapi was predominated by fresh plant tissues, as indicated by higher Λ8 = 1.2–3.2 mg/100 mg Corg, lower Ad/Alv = 0.22–0.46 and lower LPVI = 17–23. The plant OM present in the sediments of Narmada was previously degraded and mixed with soil. The OM contribution from algae was restricted to estuarine stations in both the rivers, which was ∼50% in Narmada and ∼35% in Tapi. The contribution of OM from fresh vascular plant was higher (20% to 63%) in Tapi than Narmada (2% to 35%). This study illustrated the benefits of using lignin phenols along with Corg/N and δ13Corg to identify the potential OM sources in two large river–estuary systems of India, which highlighted the complex interaction of natural and anthropogenic processes acted on the terrestrial OM compositions.

Elasmobranch fauna from the upper most part of the Cretaceous Bagh Group, Narmada valley, India

AbstractIn India, Cretaceous elasmobranchs are known from the uppermost Cretaceous Deccan intertrappean sedimentary sequences of peninsular India and the lower Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Karai Formation of the Cauvery basin, South India. The intertrappean elasmobranchs are represented mainly by rays and skates, whereas the Karai fauna is known by hexanchiform, squaliform, and lamniform sharks. The latter assemblage is dominated by cool temperate water forms in addition to some cosmopolitan forms. Here new shark teeth recovered from the upper part of the marine Cretaceous Bagh Group, in the lower Narmada valley, Western India are described. This is the first detailed description of sharks from the Bagh Group and the first record of sharks from the youngest horizons (Coniacian to Late Maastrichtian) of this marine sedimentary sequence. The fauna, recovered from an oyster shell‐rich green sandstone at the top of the youngest geological unit (the Coralline Limestone) of the Bagh Group, is assigned to Ptychodus sp., Scapanorhynchus sp. aff. S. raphiodon (Agassiz, 1844), Cretodus sp. aff. C. crassidens (Dixon, 1850), Cretalamna sp., Squalicorax sp. aff. S. falcatus Agassiz, 1843, and Elasmobranchii indet. This assemblage, previously widely documented from the Cretaceous deposits of North and South Americas, Europe, North and West Africa, Far East and Near East, demonstrates that there is a clear change in elasmobranch faunal composition of India from cool temperate water forms in the early Late Cretaceous to essentially cosmopolitan forms in the Late Cretaceous.

Isolated Archosaur teeth from the green sandstone capping the Coralline Limestone (Bagh Group) of the Narmada valley: Evidence for the presence of pre‐Late to Late Maastrichtian abelisaurids in India

AbstractRecent field prospecting in the Cretaceous sequences of the lower Narmada valley has led to the discovery of three isolated archosaur teeth from the upper part of marine Cretaceous rocks of the Bagh Group. The specimens were recovered by surface prospecting from an oyster‐bearing green sandstone bed occurring at the top of the Coralline Limestone (Coniacian) from a site near Phutibawri village, Dhar District, Madhya Pradesh, India. Of the three teeth recovered from this horizon, two are identified with abelisaurid dinosaurs and the third one with an indeterminate crocodile. The abelisaurid teeth conform to the premaxillary and maxillary tooth morphology of Majungasaurus and Indosuchus. Earlier reports of abelisaurid dinosaurs from India are from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Lameta Group of Jabalpur, Pisdura (Central India) and Balasinor (Western India) and Upper Cretaceous (Late Maastrichtian) Kallamedu Formation (South India). As no associated age diagnostic fossils are found, the specimens described here are considered to represent pre‐Late to Late Maastrichtian age based on the known ages of the underlying and overlying formations. The new finds, therefore, document stratigraphically the oldest occurrence of abelisaurid dinosaurs known from the Indian subcontinent.

Geochemical and Sr–Nd isotopic variations in palaeoflood deposits at mainstem–tributary junction, western India: Implications on late Holocene flood events

Element geochemistry and Sr–Nd isotopes have been used to characterise the palaeoflood sediments at a tributary junction in lower Narmada Valley archiving the Little Ice Age (LIA) and to determine the present day sources for the mainstem and the tributary sediments. The major and trace element concentrations show minor variations in values post 360CalyrBP. The 87Sr/86Sr and εNd values of palaeoflood sediments range from 0.7122 to 0.7191 and −2.89 to +6.28 respectively. The bed sediments from the mainstem river (Narmada) and its tributary (Karjan) yield 87Sr/86Sr values of 0.72394 and 0.7113 and εNd values of −7.18 and +6.09 respectively. Potential sources of palaeoflood sediments have been investigated from Sr and Nd isotope compositions and mixing of the mainstem as well as the tributary sediments is suggested. Pronounced contribution from the Deccan Basalt during the early part of the Little Ice Age is inferred. The more radiogenic Nd values indicate a contribution from the weathering of younger Deccan basalts, especially the Poladpur formations. The control of weathering intensity and mineral sorting is observed in ‘higher than the source rock’ 87Sr/86Sr ratios of the sediments. The major and trace element variations during the last 700years are not conclusive although, isotopic signatures of the flood sediments help in constraining the flux from the tributaries. Sr and Nd isotopic composition of the palaeoflood sediments can be used to track the monsoon intensity and pattern but their concentrations in a fluvial system remain primarily controlled by mineral sorting processes and mixing of sources.

Fluid Inclusion Study of Quartz Xenocrysts in Mafic Dykes from Kawant Area, Chhota Udaipur District, Gujarat, India

Abstract Unusual mafic dykes occur in the proximity of the Ambadongar Carbonatite Complex, Lower Narmada Valley, Gujarat, India. The dykes contain dense population of quartz xenocrysts within the basaltic matrix metasomatised by carbonate-rich fluids. Plagioclase feldspars, relict pyroxenes, chlorite, barite, rutile, magnetite, Fe-Ti oxides and glass were identified in the basaltic matrix. Quartz xenocrysts occur in various shapes and sizes and form an intricate growth pattern with carbonates. The xenocrysts are fractured and contain several types of primary and secondary, single phase and two-phase fluid inclusions. The two-phase inclusions are dominated by aqueous liquid, whereas the monophase inclusions are composed of carbonic gas and the aqueous inclusions homogenize to liquid between 226°C and 361°C. Majority of the inclusions are secondary in origin and are therefore unrelated to the crystallization of quartz. Moreover, the inclusions have mixed carbonic-aqueous compositions that inhibit their direct correlation with the crustal or mantle fluids. The composition of dilute CO2-rich fluids observed in the quartz xenocrysts appear similar to those exsolved during the final stages of evolution of the Amba Dongar carbonatites. However, the carbonates are devoid of fluid inclusions and therefore their genetic relation with the quartz xenocrysts cannot be established.

Late Holocene flooding history of a tropical river in western India in response to southwest monsoon fluctuations: A multi proxy study from lower Narmada valley

A multi-proxy study on the sediments from lower Narmada valley, western India records large flooding events and high sediment influx linked to southwest monsoon variations during late Holocene. On the basis of proxy data and chronology of preserved sediments, three major environmental perturbations at 1809, 1487, and 1187 cal BP have been identified that corroborate well with the regional fluctuations in southwest monsoon variability. A phase of dominant marine influence (between 2185 and 1809 cal BP) is inferred based on the presence of marine palynomorphs, mangrove pollen, and amorphous organic matter and is coincident with the phase of weak monsoon in the region. A transition from marine marsh environment to a phase of high fluvial influx occurred around 1809 cal BP. The fluvial influence is inferred based on the replacement of amorphous organic matter with structured organic matter, presence of fresh water algae, decrease in the δ13C values and dominance of kaolinite clay. The fluvial regime stabilized between 1487 and 1187 cal BP as recorded in the overbank sediments, palynomorphs, and geochemical indices, and sedimentation occurred under a highly oxidizing and high energy condition with long distance transport of sediments. The later incision of the sediment sequence, which post-dates 1187 cal BP, can be attributed to enhanced precipitation. The response of the lower Narmada valley to short term southwest monsoon fluctuations is manifest in the shifting deposition environments and a major role of terrestrial sediment influx variability is surmised, leading to relative sea level variations in this part of the Indian subcontinent. A temporal and process-based interplay between flooding periods and sediment discharge in river systems and tidal conditions is suggested for the tropical estuarine environments.

Tectonic and climatic controls on late Quaternary bajada sedimentation along Narmada-Son Fault (NSF), Gujarat, Western India

An alluvial bajada has been recognized along a part of the active Narmada-Son Fault (NSF) and confined by the Karjan River on the eastern side and by the Madhumati River on western side. The bajada sequence exposed along the incised cliffs of various north flowing parallel streams has been studied in their proximal, medial and distal part. The sediments are characterized on the basis of grain size, fabric, sedimentary structures, bed geometry and sorting, and lithologs prepared from the mapped cliff sections. Detailed study of sedimentary characteristics, lithofacies analysis and facies associations indicate that sediments are mainly of three types - sediments that were deposited by debris flows and sediment gravity flows, and as extensive bar deposits. Three major aggredational sequences are recognized. Each sequence is composed of coarsening-upward sequence of proximal facies overlain by fining-upward sequence of distal facies. Coarsening upward sequence record periods of tectonic activity related to uplift along the NSF and fan progradation, whereas fining-upward sequence results from tectonic quiescence periods. The presence of rhizocretions, calcium carbonate nodules and calcite sheets within the basal debris flow and sediment gravity flow indicate semi-arid climate, whereas the formation of pedoginized paleosol indicate relatively wetter climate prevailing in the study area. Tectonic activity along the NSF has played dominant role by controlling the geometry and volume of bajada sediments. Climate is found to be responsible for compositional and temporal distribution of bajada sediments. OSL dating suggests that the bajada sediments were deposited during the later part of late Pleistocene. The incision of the sediments is attributed to uplift due to inversion of the lower Narmada basin during the early Holocene.

Paleoclimate and paleovegetation of Lower Narmada Basin, Gujarat, Western India, inferred from stable carbon and oxygen isotopes

Surface sediment samples (depth 0–160 cm) and a paleosol (depth 10–15 m), both part of a sediment profile exposed in a cliff section of Narmada River, Western India were analyzed for stable isotopes (δ 13C and δ 18O). Three organic carbon samples from top 160 cm and two paleosol samples from top and bottom of the paleosol were dated by the radiocarbon method. δ 13C of both soil carbonates and soil organic carbon fall in the range of mixed C3 and C4 vegetation except for the paleosol, which shows differences attributable to the contribution of bedrock carbonate during calcite formation. The vegetation was dominantly C3 in the Late Pleistocene from 15–10 ka BP, which shifted to mixed C3–C4 during the Holocene. Enhanced monsoon was observed at ∼12.5 and ∼1.6 ka BP. The presence of C4 grasses in the late Holocene is detectable. The present day vegetation is dominantly C3 type (δ 13C = −25.4‰), probably due to anthropogenic activity, where grasslands (C4) have been replaced by C3 vegetation recently (last ∼50 years). The enhanced atmospheric CO 2 concentration in recent times could be a probable agent for the current dominance of C3 vegetation.