[1] The Bhabhar region contains some of the largest cities of Kumaon and Garhwal: Dehradun, Haridwar, Haldwani, Rishikesh, Ramnagar, Tanakpur and Kotdwar.
The Bhabar is a belt of 8–16 km lying parallel to the slopes of the Sivaliks, where the river descending from the mountains deposit pebbles.
Bhabar is the gently-sloping coarse alluvial zone below the Sivalik Hills (outermost foothills of the Himalayas) where streams disappear into permeable sediments.
The underground water level is deep in this region, then rises to the surface in the Terai below where coarse alluvium gives way to less permeable silt and clay.
[4] Being at the junction of Himalayas and the Indo-Gangetic Plain, Bhabar contains almost all the important trade and commerce hubs of Kumaon, including its largest city Haldwani.