Rivers in India

 Drainage system-it is the origin and developmenet of

streams,rivers,lakes throughtime
 Types of drainage system
 1)sequent drainage system
1. Consequent

2. Subsequent

3. Obsequent

4. Resequent
❖ The flow of water through well-defined
channels is known as ‘drainage’ and the
network of such channels is called a
‘drainage system’.
❖ The drainage pattern of an area is the
outcome of the geological time period,
nature and structure of rocks,
topography, slope, amount of water
flowing and the periodicity of the flow
❑A river drains the water collected from a specific
area, which is called its ‘catchment area’.
❑An area drained by a river and its tributaries is
called a drainage basin.
❑The boundary line separating one drainage basin
from the other is known as the watershed.
❑The catchments of large rivers are called river
basins while those of small rivulets and rills are
often referred to as watersheds. There is, however,
a slight difference between a river basin and a
watershed. Watersheds are small in area while the
basins cover larger areas
❑ On the basis of discharge of water (orientations to
the sea), it may be grouped into: (i) the Arabian Sea
drainage; and (ii) the Bay of Bengal drainage.
❑ They are separated from each other through the
Delhi ridge, the Aravalis and the Sahyadris
❑ Nearly 77 per cent of the drainage area consisting
of the Ganga, the Brahmaputra, the Mahanadi, the
Krishna, etc. is oriented towards the Bay of Bengal
❑ while 23 per cent comprising the Indus, the
Narmada, the Tapi, the Mahi and the Periyar
systems discharge their waters in the Arabian Sea.
❑ On the basis of the size of the watershed, the drainage
basins of India are grouped into three categories:
❑ (i) Major river basins with more than 20,000 sq. km of
catchment area. It includes 14 drainage basins such as the
Ganga, the Brahmaputra, the Krishna, the Tapi, the
Narmada, the Mahi, the Pennar, the Sabarmati, the Barak,
etc
❑ (ii) Medium river basins with catchment area between
2,000-20,000 sq. km incorporating 44 river basins such
as the Kalindi, the Periyar, the Meghna, etc.
❑ (iii) Minor river basins with catchment area of less than
2,000 sq. km include fairly good number of rivers flowing
in the area of low rainfall
Important Drainage Patterns
(i) The drainage pattern resembling the branches of a tree is
known as “dendritic” the examples of which are the rivers of
northern plain.
(ii) When the rivers originate from a hill and flow in all
directions, the drainage pattern is known as ‘radial’. The rivers
originating from the Amarkantak range present a good
example of it.
(iii) When the primary tributaries of rivers flow parallel to each
other and secondary tributaries join them at right angles, the
pattern is known as ‘trellis’.
(iv) When the rivers discharge their waters from all directions in
a lake or depression, the pattern is know as ‘centripetal’.
 2)Insequent drainage system
1. Antesedent
2. superimposed
1. Trellis pattern
2. Rectangular
3. Dendritic
4. Radial
5. Centripetal
6. Annular
7. Parallel
Drainage System and Pattern
❖ Drainage system refers to the origin and
development of streams, rivers, lakes through time,
while Drainage pattern means spatial arrangement
and form of drainage system in terms of geometrical
shapes in the areas of different rock types,
geological structures, climatic conditions and
denudation history.
❖ Drainage systems
can be broadly classified into two types:
1. Sequent Drainage System. This system has streams which follow the
regional slope and are well adjusted to geological structures, e.g.
consequent, subsequent, obsequent and resequent streams
❖ Consequent Streams are the first streams to originate in a particular region.
These streams have their course in accordance with the initial slope of land
surface.
❖ Subsequent Streams originate after the master consequent stream and follow
the axis of the anticlines or ridges and the strikes of beds. These streams meet
the master consequent at right angles.
❖ Obsequent Streams flow in the opposite direction to the master consequents.
❖ The tributary stream flowing in the direction of the master consequent river is
called Resequent Streams.
❖ Both the obsequent and resequent streams meet the subsequent stream at right
angles.
❖ 2. Insequent Drainage System. The Streams which do not
follow the regional slopes and drain across the geological
structures are called Insequent or Inconsequent streams.
Antecedent and Superimposed streams are the best examples of
insequent drainage system.
❖ Antecedent Streams are those which originated prior to the
upliftment of land surface. They maintain their present courses
through continuously cutting down their valleys.
❖ Superimposed Stream means a river which, flows on a
definite geological formation and structure, has inherited the
characteristics of its previous form developed on upper
geological formation of entirely different structural
characteristics. Like antecedent stream, superimposed
streams are also not adjusted to regional geological
structures and slope and thus are insequént streams.
❖ The Indus, Satluj, Ganga, Brahmaputra etc. are
antecedent streams, whereas Son, Chambal,
Subarnarekha, Banas etc. are superimposed streams.
Drainage Patterns
1. Trellis Pattern: This pattern is formed by the network of
tributaries and master consequent streams, which flow in the
regional slope and are well adjusted to the geological structures.
Trellis drainage patterns can be witnessed in the old folded
mountainous regions of Appalachian and the eastern Singbhum
region.
2. Rectangular Pattern: Like Trellis pattern, here also,
the tributaries meet the master consequent at right angle, but the
confluence angle in the rectangular pattern is determined by the
lines of weakness (faults and fractures) of the rocks.
3. Dendritic Pattern: Such patterns are developed mainly on the
flat and wide granite surface. It looks like the trunk and branches
of a tree. That is why, this pattern is called Dentric Pattern (tree
shaped). This drainage pattern is the most common and widespread
pattern to be found on the earth's surface. Such patterns are mostly
found in the Chhotanagpur plateau.
[Link] Pattern: It is also known as centrifugal pattern and is
formed by the streams which diverge from a central higher point in
all directions. The streams of Amarkantak, Parasnath, Mt Abu
and Mikir hills show this pattern.
5. Centripetal Pattern: Centripetal or inland
drainage pattern is opposite to the radial
drainage pattern because it is characterized by
the streams which converge at a point which is
generally a depression or a basin. Rivers of
Tibet and Ladakh show this pattern.
6. Annular Pattern: It is also known as Circular
pattern and is formed when the tributaries of the
master consequent streams develop in the form of
a circle. Such pattern is developed over a mature
and dissected dome mountain characterized by a
series of alternate bands of hard and soft rock
beds. Kiul river flowing in the Manikari hill region
of Munger is an example of such pattern.
7. Parallel Pattern: This drainage pattern
comprises of numerous rivers which are parallel to
each other and follow the regional slope. This
pattern is more frequently developed on coastal
plains. The Western coastal plain and upper
Gangetic plain of India represents good examples
of parallel drainage pattern.
8. Braided streams and rivers have multi-
threaded channels that branch and merge to
create the characteristic braided pattern.
Braided channels are highly dynamic with mid-
channel bars which are formed, consumed, and
re-formed continuously. The development of
braided channels is favored by several factors.
S.N Peninsular rivers Himalayan rivers
1 The rivers of peninsular are much older Himalayan rivers are much younger

2 They are mostly consequent Many of them inconsequent like

indus,satluj,kali,tista
3 The channels of these rivers are broad The channels of these rivers in the upper
courses form gorges waterfalls and rapiads

4 These rivers have relative small basins These rivers have large basins

5 There is hardaly any vertical erosion Both vertical and lateral erosions are significant

6 These are slow moving These are both slow and fast moving
7 These have low carrying capacity They transport huge quantites of sediments
8 These are mainly depositional agent These are active erosional and depositional
agents
9 They make shallow manders Make Sharp manders
10 These are generally not navigable Most of them are navigable in plains

11 These are mostly seasonal These are perennial

12 Most of them originate from the western Most of them originate from Himalayan
ghats and plateaux glaciers
13 There is no river capturing River capturing is a common phenomenon

14 These rivers make deltas and estuaries These rivers make only delta

15 Their channels are near the base level These rivers are in the ending part of youth
stage .in their mountains course they do
river capturing
S.n Name of Source Length Tributares
o. the river

1. Indus Bokharachu 2880km (1114 km Zaskar,Syang , Shigar, and

(Sindhu) in glacier near in India) Gilgit, Shyok Kabul,
Tibet singi mansarovar lake Kurram Gomal,chenab
khamban in Tibet
2. Jhelum Verinag lake near 724 km (trimmu Lidder , neelum sind
(Vitasta) seshnag lake jhang district)
(J&K)
3. Chenab Bara-Lacha pass 1180km (Bahawalpur Jhelum , Ravi, Satluj,
(Asikni) HP district Punjab ) beas,tavi,neeru,marusudar,
(Chandra + kalnai river
Bhaga)
4. Ravi Rohtang pass in 725 km (saraisidu Siul
(Parushni or HP (hanuman tibba punjub)
Iravati) karang )
5. Beas (vipasa) Beas kund near 460 km
rohtang pass (HP)
6. Satluj (satudri ) Rakas –Tal lake in 1050 km (1450) Baspa, spiti,
in Tibet langchen Tibet Beas
khambab
7. Ganga (Alaknanda Gangotri Glacier 2525km Ramganga, Gomati,
+ Bhagrirathi = (UK) Ghaghara, Gandak,
Dev Prayag ) Kosi, Rapti ,
(Padma in Mahananda,Yamuna
Bangladesh ) ,Son

8. Yamuna Yamunotri Glacier 1380 Chambal ,

Betwa, Ken,
Sindh,
9. Chambal Janapavo Hill near 960 km Banas ,
mhow kaliSindh
Parbati.
10. Son River Amarkantak in MP 784 km Rihand , North Koel
Johila,
12. Gomati Pilibhit (UP) 900km (gajipur) Sai, Jonkhai,
Berna.
11. Ramganga Nainital (UK) 596km(kannoj) Koh river

13. Ghaghara Mapcha Tung 1080km(chapara) Rapti, Shardha, Chhoti

(karnali) Glacier Gandak

14. River Sharda Milap glacier Tibet 350km(bahram Lishar , dariya

(kali river) ghat)ghaghara river Ramganga

15. Gandak Nepal Himalayan 630km(sonpur ) Kali gandak

Trishali Ganga

16. Rapti Rukumkot (Nepal) 600km (barhash )

17. Koshi Goshai Dham Hill 729km (Bhagalpur ) SunKoshi,Ta
mu, Dudhkosi

18. Rushikuliya Daringbadi 165km

kandhamal (OR)

19. Ken Vindhyanchal 427km ( banda )

mount Jabalpur

20. Tamsa Kemur Hill Satna 264km

21. Damodar Chhota Nagpur 592km Konar,barakar,Jamunia

plateau plamu(JH)

22. Mahanadi river Raipur Dist. 858km Shivnath, Jonk Tel, Mand,
Sihawa Hill (CH) Ong, Hansdev ,IB

23. Godavari River Tayam bakeswar 1465 Penganga , benganga ,

hill (MH) near purna, verdha, pranhitta ,
Nashik Indravati, Maner, Sabri,
Majara.
24. Krishna river Mahabaleshwar 1300km Dudhganga, panchganga,
(MH) Ghatprabha, Malprabha ,
Bhima,Tungbhadra mushi,
koyana, muneru

25. Kaveri Kurg dist 805km Shimsa, Hemavati, Arkavati,

(KA)brahmgiri mount LakshmanaTirtha, kabini, Bhavanim
Lokapavani, Amaravati

26. Pennar Kolar dist. Nandidurg 597km Jaymangli , Sagileru , chitravati,

hill (KA) Cheru, Papasani, Kunderu

27. Palar River Kolar Dist. Of KA 348km

the Nandi Hills in
Chikkaballapura
district of
Karnataka state

28. Vaigai Madurai dist. (TN) 258km

29. Narmada river Amarkantak Hill MP 1312km Tava, Bedyar, Dudhi, Hiran, Barna,
Kolar, Machak
,hsthani,shakkar,kaveri,choral
30. Tapi (Tapti ) Multai Village 724 km Purnna
Betul dist. (MP)

31. Sabarmati Udaipur dist 371km

jaisamnd lake
Mewad Hill
32. Mahi river Dhar dist (MP) 580km Som, Jhakham

33. Luni river Ajmer dist Naag 495km Javai, Sukhadi, Lildidi, Methidi,
Hill Sarsuti,

34. Betwa Raisen kumra 590km Bina, Dhasaan

village (MP)

35. Ghaggar river Dagshai village 320km Kaushlya, markanda , Sarswati,

shivalik hills of tangri river
Himachal Pradesh
36. Hooghly river WestBangalDuliy 260km Bay of bengal Damodar
a

37 Tung bhadra Western ghat 531km Krishna river Hind, kumudvati

Ganga mul
peak

38 Bhramputra Chemyang 2900km(916km Ganga river Dibang

(sangpo in dung glacier in india) lohit,subanshri
china) near ,dhanshri
mansarovar ,manas,sankosh,
lake tibet dihang,tista,kulsi
(angsi glacier) ,barak
39 Tista Kanchenjunga Brahmputra river Rangpo,rangit,
darjeeling hills sevak

40 Mahanada river Darjeeling west Ganga river This is the last north
bengal bank of tributary of
ganga river

41 Manipur river North part of Loktak lake (myittha

manipur river it is a tributary
of the Chindwin
river)
42 Dhansiri Naga hills Brahmputra river

43 sharavati Shimoga district Arabean sea

karnataka

44 Subernrekha Southwest part of Bay of bengal

ranchi
45 Brahmani river Formed by Bay of bengal
confiuence of
koel and sankh
river
46 Amravathi river Kerla tamilnadu Kaveri river
border

47 Tambraparni river Tiruneveli Gulf of mannar

district palani
hills
48 Periyar Sivagiri hils Arabian sea
sundarmala

49 Swarnamukhi Triupati dist.(AP) Bay of Bengal

50 Vamsaddhara Thuamal Rampur (Kalahandi Bay of Bengal

dist.)
 The western slopes of the western ghat receive
havy rainfall about 200 to 500 cm during the south
west moonson
 The main rivers merging into the Arabian sea are
 1)surya 2)kalu 3)savitri 4)mandvi
5)Terekhol 6)Chapora 7)Zuvari 8)Sal 9)Talpona
10) Kalindi 11) Gangawali 12)Sharavati
13)Tadri 14)Netravati 15) Beypore
16)Ponnani 17)Bharatpuzha 18)Periyar 19
)Pamba
1. Sabarmati
2. Mahi
3. Dadar
4. Kalindi
5. Saravati
6. Bhartpuaja
7. Periyar
8. Narmada
9. Tapti
1. Bist doab-Beas and Satlaj river
2. Sindh sagar doab-Jhelam and
Indus rivers
3. Bari doab-Beas and Ravi rivers
4. Rechna doab –Ravi and Chenab
5. Chaj doab –Chenab and Jhelam river
1. Ganga yamuna doab-Ganga and Yamuna river
2. Rohelkhand plain –Ramganaga and Gomati
river
3. Avadh plain –Gomati Ghaghara river
4. Saran plain –Gandak and budi Gandak river
5. Mithila plain –budi Gandak and Koshi
6. West bangal plain –Koshi and Mahanada river
1) 1. Alaknanda and Dhauli ganga(mana glacier) –
vishnu prayag
2) 2. Alaknanda and Nandakni(trisul glacier)-Nand
prayag
3) 3. Alaknanda and pindari (pindari glacier)-karan
prayag
4) 4. Alaknanda and mandakani (chorabari glacier)-
Rudra prayag
5) 5. Alaknandaand bhigirathi ( Gangotri glacier )-
Dev prayag
1) Subernrekha
2) Vetarni
3) Brahmarni
4) Pennar
5) Palar
6) Mahanadi
7) Amravati
8) Tambraparni
‘Namami Gange Programme’, is an Integrated
Conservation Mission, approved as “Flagship
Programme” by the Union Government in June 2014
with the twin objectives of effective abatement of
pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of the
National River Ganga. Main pillars of the Namami
Gange Programme are: • Sewerage Treatment
Infrastructure • River-Front Development • River-
Surface Cleaning • Bio-Diversity • Afforestation •
Public Awareness • Industrial Effluent Monitoring •
Ganga Gram
❖ The Satluj originates in the ‘Raksas tal’ near
Mansarovar at an altitude of 4,555 m in Tibet
where it is known as Langchen Khambab.
❖ It flows almost parallel to the Indus for about
400 km before entering India, and comes out
of a gorge at Rupar.
❖ It passes through the Shipki La on the
Himalayan ranges and enters the Punjab plains.
❖ It is an antecedent river.
❖ It is a very important tributary as it feeds the
canal system of the Bhakra Nangal project.
❖ The Jhelum, an important tributary of
the Indus, rises from a spring at
Verinag situated at the foot of the Pir
Panjal in the south-eastern part of the
valley of Kashmir.
❖ It flows through Srinagar and the Wular
lake before entering Pakistan through a
deep narrow gorge.
❖ It joins the Chenab near Jhang in
Pakistan
❖ The Chenab is the largest tributary of
the Indus.
❖ It is formed by two streams, the
Chandra and the Bhaga, which join at
Tandi near Keylong in Himachal
Pradesh. Hence, it is also known as
Chandrabhaga.
❖ The river flows for 1,180 km before
entering into Pakistan
❖ The Ravi is another important tributary of the
Indus.
❖ It rises west of the Rohtang pass in the Kullu
hills of Himachal Pradesh and flows through
the Chamba valley of the state.
❖ Before entering Pakistan and joining the
Chenab near Sarai Sidhu,
❖ it drains the area lying between the
southeastern part of the Pir Panjal and the
Dhauladhar ranges
❖ The Beas is another important tributary of
the Indus, originating from the Beas Kund
near the Rohtang Pass at an elevation of
4,000 m above the mean sea level.
❖ The river flows through the Kullu valley and
forms gorges at Kati and Largi in the
Dhaoladhar range.
❖ It enters the Punjab plains where it meets
the Satluj near Harike.
❖The Indus System It is one of the largest river
basins of the world, covering an area of 11,65,000
sq. km (in India it is 321, 289 sq. km and a total
length of 2,880 km (in India 1,114 km).
❖The Indus also known as the Sindhu, is the
westernmost of the Himalayan rivers in India.
❖It originates from a glacier near Bokhar Chu
(31°15' N latitude and 81°40' E longitude) in the
Tibetan region at an altitude of 4,164 m in the
Kailash Mountain range.
❖ In Tibet, it is known as ‘Singi Khamban; or Lion’s
mouth. After flowing in the northwest direction
between the Ladakh and Zaskar ranges,
❖it passes through Ladakh and Baltistan.
❖It cuts across the Ladakh range, forming a spectacular
gorge near Gilgit in Jammu and Kashmir.
❖It enters into Pakistan near Chilas in the Dardistan
region. Find out the area known as Dardistan
❖ The Indus receives a number of Himalayan
tributaries such as the Shyok, the Gilgit, the
Zaskar, the Hunza, the Nubra, the Shigar, the
Gasting and the Dras.
❖ It finally emerges out of the hills near Attock
where it receives the Kabul river on its right
bank.
❖ The other important tributaries joining the right
bank of the Indus are the Khurram, the Tochi, the
Gomal, the Viboa and the Sangar.
❖ They all originate in the Sulaiman ranges.
❖ The river flows southward and receives
‘Panjnad’ a little above Mithankot.
❖ The Panjnad is the name given to the five
rivers of Punjab, namely the Satluj, the Beas,
the Ravi, the Chenab and the Jhelum.
❖ It finally discharges into the Arabian Sea, east
of Karachi. The Indus flows in India only
through Jammu and Kashmir
❖ The Ganga System The Ganga is the most important river of India
both from the point of view of its basin and cultural significance.
❖ It rises in the Gangotri glacier near Gaumukh (3,900 m) in the
Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. Here, it is known as the Bhagirathi.
❖ It cuts through the Central and the Lesser Himalayas in narrow
gorges.
❖ At Devprayag, the Bhagirathi meets the Alaknanda; hereafter, it is
known as the Ganga.
❖ The Alaknanda has its source in the Satopanth glacier above
Badrinath.
❖ The Alaknanda consists of the Dhauli and the Vishnu Ganga which
meet at Joshimath or Vishnu Prayag.
❖ The other tributaries of Alaknanda such as the Pindar joins it at
Karna Prayag while Mandakini or Kali Ganga meets it at Rudra Prayag.
❖ The Ganga enters the plains at Haridwar. From here, it flows first to
the south, then to the south-east and east
❖before splitting into two distributaries,
namely the Bhagirathi and the Padma.
❖The river has a length of 2,525 km.
❖It is shared by Uttarakhand (110 km) and
Uttar Pradesh (1,450 km), Bihar (445 km) and
West Bengal (520 km).
❖The Ganga basin covers about 8.6 lakh sq.
km area in India alone.
❖ The Ganga river system is the largest in India
having a number of perennial and non-
perennial rivers originating in the Himalayas in
the north and the Peninsula in the south,
respectively.
❖ The Son is its major right bank tributary.
❖ The important left bank tributaries are the
Ramganga, the Gomati, the Ghaghara, the
Gandak, the Kosi and the Mahananda. The river
finally discharges itself into the Bay of Bengal
near the Sagar Island.
❖ The Yamuna, the western most and the longest
tributary of the Ganga, has its source in the
Yamunotri glacier on the western slopes of
Banderpunch range (6,316 km).
❖ It joins the Ganga at Prayag (Allahabad).
❖ It is joined by the Chambal, the Sind, the Betwa and
the Ken on its right bank which originates from the
Peninsular plateau while the Hindan, the Rind, the
Sengar, the Varuna, etc. join it on its left bank.
❖ Much of its water feeds the western and eastern
Yamuna and the Agra canals for irrigation purposes
❖ The Chambal rises near Mhow in the Malwa
plateau of Madhya Pradesh and flows
northwards through a gorge up wards of
Kota in Rajasthan, where the Gandhisagar
dam has been constructed.
❖ From Kota, it traverses down to Bundi, Sawai
Madhopur and Dholpur, and finally joins the
Yamuna.
❖ The Chambal is famous for its badland
topography called the Chambal ravines
❖ The Gandak comprises two streams,
namely Kaligandak and Trishulganga.
❖ It rises in the Nepal Himalayas between
the Dhaulagiri and Mount Everest and
drains the central part of Nepal.
❖ It enters the Ganga plain in Champaran
district of Bihar and joins the Ganga at
Sonpur near Patna.
❖ The Ghaghara originates in the glaciers
of Mapchachungo.
❖ After collecting the waters of its
tributaries – Tila, Seti and Beri, it
comes out of the mountain,
cutting a deep gorge at
Shishapani.
❖ The river Sarda (Kali or Kali Ganga)
joins it in the plain before it finally
meets the Ganga at Chhapra.
❖ The Kosi is an antecedent river with its
source to the north of Mount Everest in
Tibet, where its main stream Arun
rises. After crossing the Central
Himalayas in Nepal,
❖ it is joined by the Son Kosi from the
West and the Tamur Kosi from the east.
❖ It forms Sapt Kosi after uniting with
the river Arun
❖ The Ramganga is comparatively a small
river rising in the Garhwal hills near
Gairsain.
❖ It changes its course to the southwest
direction after crossing the Shiwalik and
enters into the plains of Uttar Pradesh
near Najibabad.
❖ Finally, it joins the Ganga near Kannauj
❖ The Damodar occupies the eastern
margins of the Chotanagpur Plateau
where it flows through a rift valley and
finally joins the Hugli.
❖ The Barakar is its main tributary. Once
known as the ‘sorrow of Bengal’, the
Damodar has been now tamed by the
Damodar Valley corporation, a
multipurpose project
❖ The Sarda or Saryu river rises in the
Milam glacier in the Nepal
❖ Himalayas where it is known as the
Goriganga.
❖ Along the Indo-Nepal border,
❖ it is called Kali or Chauk, where it
joins the Ghaghara.
❖ The Mahananda is another important tributary
of the Ganga rising in the Darjiling hills.
❖ It joins the Ganga as its last left bank tributary
in West Bengal.
❖ The Son is a large south bank tributary of the
Ganga, originating in the Amarkantak plateau.
❖ After forming a series of waterfalls at the
edge of the plateau,
❖ it reaches Arrah, west of Patna, to join the
Ganga
❖ The Brahmaputra System The Brahmaputra, one
of the largest rivers of the world, has its origin
in the Chemayungdung glacier of the Kailash
range near the Mansarovar lake.
❖ From here, it traverses eastward longitudinally
for a distance of nearly 1,200 km in a dry and
flat region of southern Tibet, where it is known
as the Tsangpo, which means ‘the purifier.’
❖ The Rango Tsangpo is the major right bank
tributary of this river in Tibet.
❖ It emerges as a turbulent and dynamic river
after carving out a deep gorge in the Central
Himalayas near Namcha Barwa (7,755 m).
❖ The river emerges from the foothills under the
name of Siang or Dihang.
❖ It enters India west of Sadiya town in
Arunachal Pradesh. Flowing southwest, it
receives its main left bank tributaries, viz.,
Dibang or Sikang and Lohit; thereafter, it is
known as the Brahmaputra
❖ The Brahmaputra receives numerous tributaries
in its 750 km long journey through the Assam
valley.
❖ Its major left bank tributaries are the Burhi
Dihing and Dhansari (South) whereas the
important right bank tributaries are the
Subansiri, Kameng, Manas and Sankosh.
❖ The Subansiri which has its origin in Tibet, is an
antecedent river.
❖ The Brahmaputra enters into Bangladesh near
Dhubri and flows southward.
❖ In Bangladesh, the Tista joins it on its right
bank from where the river is known as the
Jamuna.
❖ It finally merges with the river Padma, which
falls in the Bay of Bengal.
❖ The Brahmaputra is well-known for floods,
channel shifting and bank erosion.
❖ This is due to the fact that most of its
tributaries are large, and bring large quantity of
sediments owing to heavy rainfall in its
catchment area.
❖ THE PENINSULAR DRAINAGE SYSTEM The
Peninsular drainage system is older than the
Himalayan one.
❖ This is evident from the broad, largely-graded
shallow valleys, and the maturity of the rivers.
❖ The Western Ghats running close to the western
coast act as the water divide between the major
Peninsular rivers, discharging their water in the Bay
of Bengal and as small rivulets joining the Arabian
Sea.
❖ Most of the major Peninsular rivers except
Narmada and Tapi flow from west to east.
❖ The Chambal, the Sind, the Betwa, the Ken, the
Son, originating in the northern part of the
Peninsula belong to the Ganga river system.
❖ The other major river systems of the Peninsular
drainage are – the Mahanadi the Godavari, the
Krishna and the Kaveri.
❖ Peninsular rivers are characterised by fixed
course, absence of meanders and nonperennial
flow of water.
❖ The Narmada and the Tapi which flow through the
rift valley are, however, exceptions
❖ The Mahanadi rises near Sihawa in Raipur district of
Chhattisgarh and runs through Odisha to discharge
its water into the Bay of Bengal.
❖ It is 851 km long and its catchment area spreads
over 1.42 lakh sq. km.
❖ Some navigation is carried on in the lower course of
this river.
❖ Fifty three per cent of the drainage basin of this river
lies in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, while 47
per cent lies in Odisha
❖ The Godavari is the largest Peninsular river system.
It is also called the Dakshin Ganga.
❖ It rises in the Nasik district of Maharashtra and
discharges its water into the Bay of Bengal.
❖ Its tributaries run through the states of
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,
Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
❖ It is 1,465 km long with a catchment area
spreading over 3.13
❖ lakh sq. km 49 per cent of this, lies in Maharashtra,
20 per cent in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and
the rest in Andhra Pradesh.
❖ The Penganga, the Indravati, the Pranhita, and the
Manjra are its principal tributaries.
❖ The Godavari is subjected to heavy floods in its lower
reaches to the south of Polavaram, where it forms a
picturesque gorge.
❖ It is navigable only in the deltaic stretch.
❖ The river after Rajamundri splits into several
branches forming a large delta.
❖ The Krishna is the second largest
eastflowing Peninsular river which rises near
Mahabaleshwar in Sahyadri.
❖ Its total length is 1,401 km.
❖ The Koyna, the Tungbhadra and the Bhima
are its major tributaries.
❖ Of the total catchment area of the Krishna,
27 per cent lies in Maharashtra, 44 per cent
in Karnataka and 29 per cent in Andhra
Pradesh and Telangana
❖ The Kaveri rises in Brahmagiri hills (1,341m) of Kogadu
district in Karnataka. Its length is 800 km and it drains an
area of 81,155 sq. km.
❖ Since the upper catchment area receives rainfall during the
southwest monsoon season (summer) and the lower part
during the northeast monsoon season (winter),
❖ the river carries water throughout the year with comparatively
less fluctuation than the other Peninsular rivers.
❖ About 3 per cent of the Kaveri basin falls in Kerala, 41 per
cent in Karnataka and 56 per cent in Tamil Nadu.
❖ Its important tributaries are the Kabini, the Bhavani and the
Amravati.
❖ The Narmada originates on the western flank of the
Amarkantak plateau at a height of about 1,057 m.
❖ Flowing in a rift valley between the Satpura in the
south and the Vindhyan range in the north, it forms a
picturesque gorge in marble rocks and Dhuandhar
waterfall near Jabalpur.
❖ After flowing a distance of about 1,312 km,
❖ it meets the Arabian sea south of Bharuch, forming a
broad 27 km long estuary.
❖ Its catchment area is about 98,796 sq. km.
❖ The Sardar Sarovar Project has been constructed on
this river
❖ The Tapi is the other important westward
flowing river.
❖ It originates from Multai in the Betul district
of Madhya Pradesh.
❖ It is 724 km long and drains an area of
65,145 sq. km.
❖ Nearly 79 per cent of its basin lies in
Maharashtra, 15 per cent in Madhya
Pradesh and the remaining 6 per cent in
Gujarat.
❖ Luni is the largest river system of Rajasthan, west
of Aravali.
❖ It originates near Pushkar in two branches, i.e. the
Saraswati and the Sabarmati, which join with each
other at Govindgarh. From here, the river comes
out of Aravali and is known as Luni.
❖ It flows towards the west till Telwara and then
takes a southwest direction to join the Rann of
Kuchchh.
❖ The entire river system is ephemeral.
❖ The rivers flowing towards the Arabian sea have
short courses.
❖ The Shetruniji is one such river which rises near
Dalkahwa in Amreli district.
❖ The Bhadra originates near Aniali village in Rajkot
district.
❖ The Dhadhar rises near Ghantar village in
Panchmahal district.
❖ Sabarmati and Mahi are the two famous rivers of
Gujarat.
❖ The Vaitarna rises from the Trimbak hills in Nasik
district at an elevation of 670 m.
❖ The Kalinadi rises from Belgaum district and falls in
the Karwar Bay.
❖ The source of Bedti river lies in Hubli Dharwar and
traverses a course of 161 km.
❖ The Sharavati is another important river in Karnataka
flowing towards the west.
❖ The Sharavati originates in Shimoga district of
Karnataka and drains a catchment area of 2,209 sq.
km.
❖ Goa has two important rivers which can be mentioned
here. One is Mandovi and the other is Juari.
❖ Kerala has a narrow coastline. The
longest river of Kerala, Bharathapuzha
rises near Annamalai hills.
❖ It is also known as Ponnani.
❖ It drains an area of 5,397 sq. km.
Compare its catchment area with that
of the Sharavati river of Karnataka.
❖ The Periyar is the second largest river of
Kerala. Its catchment area is 5,243 sq.
km.
❖ You can see that there is a marginal
difference in the catchment area of the
Bhartapuzha and the Periyar rivers.
Another river of Kerala worth mentioning
is the Pamba river which falls in the
Vemobanad lake after traversing a course
of 177 km.
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