indian river systems
TRANSCRIPT
INDIAN RIVER
SYSTEMSFREEPDF
FOR DIFFERENT GOVERNMENT EXAMS
River Systems in India Free e-book
Indian River System
Given below are the major river systems in India
Indian River Systems Major tributaries
River System Total length
Catchment area (km2)
Left bank
Right bank
Indus River System
1114 km in India 3180 (Total)
3,21,289 Zaskar, Suru, Soan, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Satluj
Shyok, Gilgit, Nubra, Khurram, Tochi, Gomal, Sangar, Kabul
Brahmaputra River System
916 km in India 2900 km (Total)
1,94,413 Siang/Dibang, Lohit, Dhansiri, Burhi Dihing, Kopili
Subansiri, Kameng,Manas, Sankosh, Raidak, Jaldhaka, Teesta
Ganga River System
2510 km
8,61,452 Ramganga, Gomti, Ghagra, Gandak, Kosi, Mahananda
Yamuna, Son, Tamsa, Punpun
Yamuna river System
1376 km
3,66,200 Hindon, Rind, Sengar Varuna
Chambal, Sindh, Betwa, Ken, Tons
Narmada River System
1312 km
98,796 Burhner, Banjar, Sher, Shakkar, Dudhi, Tawa, Ganjal
Tendoni, Hiran, Barna, Kolar
Tapi River System
724 km
65,145 Nesu, Arunavati, Buray, Panjhra , Bori, Girna, Waghur, Purna, Mona, Sipna
Vaki, Gomai, Arunavati, Aner
Godavari River System
1465 km
3,12,812 Indravati, Purna, Pranhita, Sabari
Pravara, Manjira Maner
Krishna River System
1400 km
2,58,948 Bhima, Musi, Munneru Ghatprabha, Malaprabha, Tungbhadra
Cauvery River System
805 km
81,155 Harangi, Hemavati, Shimsha, Arkavati
Lakshmantirtha, Kabbani, Suvarnavati, Bhavani, Noyil, Amaravati
River Systems in India Free e-book
Mahanadi River System
851 km
1,41,589 Seonath, Hasdeo, Mand, Ib Ong, Tel, Jonk
Now let us look at the drainage system of rivers in India in detail.
Most of the rivers discharge their waters into the Bay of Bengal. Some of the rivers flow through the western part of the country and merge into the Arabian Sea. The northern parts of the Aravalli range, some parts of Ladakh, and arid regions of the Thar Desert have inland drainage. All major rivers of India originate from one of the three main watersheds-
• The Himalaya and the Karakoram range• The Chota Nagpur plateau and Vindhya and Satpura range• The Western Ghats
Classification of Drainage Systems of India
Drainage Systems Based on the Size of the Catchment Area
Division Size of catchment area in sq km
Major river 20,000
Medium river 20,000 – 2,000
Minor river 2,000 and below
Drainage Systems Based on Origin
Perennial rivers Non-Perennial rivers
The Himalayan Rivers The Peninsular Rivers
Indus, the Ganga, the Brahmaputra, and their tributaries.
Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna, the Cauvery, the Narmada, and the Tapi and their tributaries
Drainage Systems Based on the Type of Drainage
The river systems of India can be classified into four groups viz.
Rivers that drain into the sea Endorheic basin
River Systems in India Free e-book
Himalayan rivers, Deccan rivers, and Coastal rivers that
drain into the sea.
When a river does not reach the sea but disappears into the sand, such a region is called an area of inland drainage. Inland
drainage streams are ephemeral streams (short-lived)
Indus, the Ganga, the Brahmaputra, and their
tributaries.
E.g., Luni river that originates near Ajmer drains into the Rann of Kutch and does not reach the sea.
Drainage Systems Based on Orientation to the sea
The Bay of Bengal drainage Arabian sea drainage
East flowing rivers that drain into the Bay of Bengal
West flowing rivers that drain into the Arabian sea
Ganga, Godavari, Cauvery, Krishna Narmada, Tapi
Over 90 per cent of the water drains into the Bay of Bengal; the rest is drained into the Arabian Sea or forms inland drainage.
The Bay of Bengal drainage Arabian Sea drainage
Rivers that drain into Bay of Bengal Rivers that drain into Arabian sea
East flowing rivers West flowing rivers
~ 77 percent of the drainage area of the country is oriented towards the Bay of
Bengal ~ 23 percent of the drainage area of the country
is oriented towards the Arabian sea
The Ganga, the Brahmaputra, the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna, the Cauvery, the
Penneru, the Penneiyar, the Vaigai, etc.
The Indus, the Narmada, the Tapi, the Sabarmati, the Mahi and the large number of swift flowing
western coast rivers descending from the Sahyadris.
Major River System or Drainage Systems in India
Himalayan River systems
River Systems in India Free e-book
• Indus River System• Brahmaputra River System• Ganga River System• Yamuna River System
Peninsular River Systems
• Godavari River System• Krishna River System• Cauvery River System• Mahanadi River System
West Flowing Peninsular River Systems
• Narmada River System• Tapti River System• Sabarmati River• Mahi River• Luni River
The Indus River System
The Indus arises from the northern slopes of the Kailash range in Tibet near Lake Manasarovar.
It has a large number of tributaries in both India and Pakistan and has a total length of about 3180 km from the source to the point near Karachi where it falls into the Arabian Sea out of which approx 1114km lies in India.
The river-course:
• It crosses the Himalayas through a 5181 m deep gorge near Attock, which lies north of Nanga Parbat. It is joined by the Dhar River near the Indo-China border.
• Flows in India through the Ladakh Range and the Zaskar Range in the Leh district of Jammu and Kashmir. In the Kashmir region, it joins with many tributaries – the Zaskar, the Shyok, the Nubra and the Hunza.
• It enters into Pakistan near Chillar in the Dardistan region through a deep gorge near the hair-pin bend of Nanga Parbat.
• It finally discharges into the Arabian Sea, east of Karachi.
River Systems in India Free e-book
The Indus river serves as the major source of water supply for Pakistan and Punjab The Indus Waters Treaty, a water-sharing agreement between India and Pakistan was
signed in 1960. It was brokered by the World Bank. The treaty gives India 20% of the water. India got control over the three eastern rivers,
which are: Ravi, Beas, Sutlej The Bhakra Nangal Project (Sutlej) the Indira Gandhi Project (Sutlej & Beas), Pong Dam
(Beas), Baglihar Project (Chenab), Thien Dam (Ravi) are some important hydroelectric projects on the Indus drainage system
A Permanent Indus Commission was set up by the United Nations for resolving any disputes that may arise in water sharing, with a mechanism for arbitration to resolve conflicts amicably.
The Brahmaputra River System
The Brahmaputra originates from Mansarovar Lake, which is also a source of the Indus and Sutlej.
It is 3848kms long, a little longer than the Indus River. Most of its course lies outside India. It is considered one of the largest rivers in India in terms of volume. It is known for creating calamity in Assam and Bangladesh.
The river course:
• From its source, the river runs for nearly 1,100km in an easterly direction in Tibet between the main range of the Himalayas to the south and the Kailash Range to the north. The river is known as the Tsangpo in Tibet. It receives less volume of water and has less silt in the Tibet region.
• When it reaches Namcha Barwa, it takes a U-turn around it and enters India in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.
• Here it is known as the Dihang River. It flows for about 35 km and is joined by two other major rivers like Dibang and Lohit.
• From this point of convergence, the river becomes very wide and is called Brahmaputra. In India, it flows through the states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam and is connected by several tributaries.
• The Brahmaputra has a braided channel throughout most of its length in Assam. • It drains into the Bay of Bengal after passing through Bangladesh. • Chars are riverine islands in the Brahmaputra formed through silt deposits. During monsoons,
many chars get partially or fully submerged affecting delivery of basic services.
The Brahmaputra River is the lifeline of Assam and its economy. River Brahmaputra and its tributaries carry more than 30 per cent of the total water
resources potential of the country. National Waterway 2 stretches on Brahmaputra river from Sadiya to Dhubri in Assam
state. Total land loss per year due to erosion of Brahmaputra ranges from 72.5 to 80 sq.
km/year during 1997 to 2007–08. Erosion hazard posed by the Brahmaputra is also extremely severe in several vulnerable
sections like Majuli, Palasbari, Rohmoria, Bhuragaon and Bokuwal.
River Systems in India Free e-book
Ganga River System
The Ganga originates as the Bhagirathi from the Gangotri glacier.
• Before it reaches Devprayag in the Garhwal Division, the Mandakini, Pindar, the Dhauliganga and the Bishenganga rivers merge into the Alaknanda, and the Bheling drain into the Bhagirathi.
• The water from both Bhagirathi and the Alaknanda flows in the name of the Ganga at Devprayag.
The principal tributaries of the Ganga are Yamuna, Damodar, Sapta Kosi, Ram Ganga, Gomati, Ghaghara, and Son. The river, after traveling a distance of 2525 km from its source, meets the Bay of Bengal.
Course of river Ganga:
• It rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand • It emerges from the mountains at Rishikesh and flows south and east and enters the Gangetic
plain of North India at the pilgrimage town of Haridwar. • The Ganges river passes the towns of Chunar, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Ghazipur, Ara, Patna,
Chapra, Hajipur, Mokama, Munger, Sahibganj, Rajmahal, Bhagalpur, Ballia, Buxar, Simaria, Sultanganj, and Farakka.
• The Ganges branches into two distributaries, the Hooghly and the Padma at Giria in Murshidabad district of India. into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal
The river is home to approximately 140 species of fish, 90 species of amphibians, and also reptiles and mammals, including critically endangered species such as the gharial and South Asian river dolphin.
The water used for agriculture in the Gangetic plains comes from the Ganges. Chief crops cultivated in the region include wheat, lentils, rice, potatoes, sugarcane and oil seeds. Jute, legumes, mustard, sesame, and chillies are also grown along the banks of the river.
764 industries in the mainstream of the Ganga, including Kali and Ramganga, consume 1123 MLD water and discharge 500 MLD wastewater.
Many stretches of the river are used as navigation system for transporting goods and people. The National Waterway 1 (NW-1) or Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system runs from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh to Haldia in West Bengal via Patna and Bhagalpur in Bihar across the Ganges river.
‘Namami Gange Programme’, is an Integrated Conservation Mission, approved as ‘Flagship Programme’ by the Union Government in June 2014 with budget outlay of Rs.20,000 Crore to accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga.
Yamuna River System Yamuna river originates from Yamunotri glacier, at the Bandarpoonch peak in Uttarakhand
• The Yamuna River is the largest tributary of the Ganga River. • The main tributaries joining the river include the Sin, Hindon, Betwa Ken, and Chambal. • The Tons is the largest tributary of the Yamuna.
River Systems in India Free e-book
• The catchment of the river extends to the states of Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh.
• The river Yamuna defines the border between Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh and in between Haryana, UP and Delhi.
The course of the river: • From its source in the Yamunotri glacier, the river flows 200 km southwards making its way
through the lower Himalayan region as well as the Shivalik ranges. • It runs almost parallel to Ganga once it enters the Indo Gangetic plains. This land in between
is the Ganges – Yamuna doab region and spreads on an area of 69,000 sq. km. • The Yamuna then passes Delhi, Mathura, Agra, Firozabad, and Etawah. • Near Allahabad, after a course of about 855 miles (1,376 km), the Yamuna joins the Ganges
(Ganga) River.
Almost 57 million inhabitants rely on the waters of the Yamuna The confluence of Yamuna and Ganga, The Triveni Sangam is home to the Kumbh
Mela, which takes place every 12 years. The National Green Tribunal has opined that Yamuna's water was "highly" polluted as it
contained "acidic, heavy metals and other high pollutants" which were very injurious to human health and it cannot be treated as a source of irrigation for agricultural purposes. After a ban of 4 years, agriculture was permitted again in 2019 with constant watch on heavy metal content of the harvested produce.
Yamuna is one of the National Waterways of India, designated as NW110 in Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
The Narmada River System
It rises from the Narmada Kund of the Amarkantak Hill in Madhya Pradesh state.
• The Narmada is a river located in central India. • It outlines the traditional frontier between North India and South India. • It is one of the major rivers of peninsular India. Only the Narmada, the Tapti, and the Mahi
rivers run from east to west. • The river flows through the states of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. • It drains into the Arabian Sea in the Bharuch district of Gujarat.
Course of the river:
• The river descends from the Amarkantak hill range at the Kapildhara falls and flows through Ramnagar, Mandla and Jabalpur.
• Close to Jabalpur, after the Dhuandhara falls, Narmada enters three narrow valleys between the Vindhya scarps in the north and the Satpura range in the South.
• It forms the traditional boundary between North India and South India. • It flows westwards over a length of 1,312 km before draining through the Gulf of
Cambey into the Arabian Sea, 30 km (18.6 mi) west of Bharuch of Gujarat.
River Systems in India Free e-book
Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal (NWDT) provides percentage of share of powerbetween Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan
60 of the Narmada’s 101 tributaries have gone dry or become seasonal. Since theNarmada does not reach the ocean many months of the year, the sea is moving in,leading to salinity, soil degradation and losses to industries.
Some important dams on the Narmada river includes:Sardar Sarovar dam, Indira Sagardam, Bargi dam, Maan dam, Jobat dam
The Canal Solar Power Project is a first of a kind project launched in Gujarat, India, touse the 532 km long network of Narmada canals across the state for setting up solarpanels to generate electricity.
The Tapi River System
It originates in the Eastern Satpura Range of southern Madhya Pradesh state.
• It is a central Indian river. It is one of the most important rivers of peninsular India with therun from east to west.
• The River Basin of Tapi River lies mostly in eastern and northern districts of Maharashtrastate.
• The river also covers some districts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat as well.• The principal tributaries of Tapi River are Waghur River, Aner River, Girna River, Purna River,
Panzara River and Bori River.
Course of the river:
From its source, it flows in a westward direction, draining some important historic places likeMadhya Pradesh’s Nimar region, East Vidarbha region and Maharashtra’s Khandesh in thenorthwest corner of the Deccan Plateau and South Gujarat before draining into the Gulf ofCambay of the Arabian Sea.
• On 9th October 2020, the Tapi River Basin Committee adopted the Tapi River BasinManagement Plan (Tapi RBM Plan) that has been developed under the India-EU WaterPartnership
• Par-Tapi -Narmada Link proposes to transfer water from the water surplus regions ofWestern Ghats to the water deficit regions of Saurashtra and Kutch. The link projectincludes seven reservoirs proposed in north Maharashtra and south Gujarat.
• Hathnur Dam (Maharashtra),Kakrapar Weir (Gujarat), Ukai Dam (Gujarat), Girna Dam(Maharashtra), Dahigam Weir (Maharashtra) are some important hydroelectric projectson the Tapi river.
The Godavari River System
This river originates from Trimbakeshwar, near Nasik in Maharashtra.
• The Godavari River is the second-longest course in India with brownish water.• The river is often referred to as the Dakshin (South) Ganga or Vriddh (Old) Ganga.• It is a seasonal river, dried during the summers, and widens during the monsoons.• It flows southeast across south-central India through the states of Madhya Pradesh,
Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Orissa, and drains into the Bay of Bengal.• The river forms a fertile delta at Rajahmundry.
River Systems in India Free e-book
• The banks of this river have many pilgrimage sites, Nasik (MH), Bhadrachalam(TS), andTrimbak. Some of its tributaries include Pranahita (Combination of Penuganga and Warda),Indravati River, Bindusara, Sabari, and Manjira.
• Asia’s largest rail-cum-road bridge which links Kovvur and Rajahmundry is located on theriver Godavari.
Course of the river:
• The river originates from Trimbak and then flows in the east across the Deccan Plateautraversing through the Trimbakeshwar, Nashik, Kopargaon, Paithan, Nanded, Rajahmundry,Adilabad and Bhadrachalam.
• Godavari empties into the Bay of Bengal near Narasapuram in West Godavari district ofAndhra Pradesh.
Godavari is India's second longest river after the Ganga and third largest in India, drainsabout 10% of India's total geographical area.
The drainage basin of the river is present in seven states of India. Godavari is also a home to the endangered fringed-lipped carp (Labeo fimbriatus). The Coringa mangrove forests in the Godavari delta are the second largest mangrove
formation in the country. National Waterway 4 connects Kakinada to Pondicherry through Canals,Tank and river
Godavari along with Krishna river. Gangapur Dam, Jayakwadi Dam, Ghatghar Dam,Shriram Sagar Dam are some important
dams on the river.
The Krishna River System
• Krishna is one of the longest rivers of India, which originates from Mahabaleshwar inMaharashtra.
• It flows through Sangli and drains the sea in the Bay of Bengal.• The river flows through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra
Pradesh.• Tungabhadra River is the main tributary which itself is formed by the Tunga and Bhadra
rivers that originate in the Western Ghats.• Dudhganga Rivers, Koyna, Bhima, Mallaprabha, Dindi, Ghataprabha, Warna, Yerla, and
Musi are some of the other tributaries.
It is one of the most suitable arable basins in the world as 75.6% area of the Krishnabasin is under cultivation because of the availability of water
Krishna basin forms 8% of the country’s total geographical area The Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary, located where Krishna meets the Bay of Bengal,
contains one of the last remnants of mangrove forests in South India. Some important dams in the Krishna basin are: 1. Nagarjuna Sagar Dam 2. Srisailam Dam 3.
Bhima Dam 4. Sunkesula barrage 5. Almatti Dam 6. Tungabhadra Dam
The Cauvery River System
River Systems in India Free e-book
It originates from Talakaveri located in the Western Ghats.
• The Cauvery is also known as Ganges of South India ‘’Dakshin Bharat ki Ganga”. • It is a famous pilgrimage and tourist place in the Kodagu district of Karnataka.• The headwaters of the river are in the Western Ghats range of Karnataka state, and from
Karnataka through Tamil Nadu.• Its upper catchment area receives rainfall during summer by the south-west monsoon and the
lower catchment area during winter season by the retreating north-east monsoon.• It is, therefore, almost a perennial river with comparatively less fluctuations in flow and is
very useful for irrigation and hydroelectric power generation.• The river has many tributaries called Arkavathy, Shimsha, Hemavati, Kapila, Shimsha,
Honnuhole, Amaravati, Lakshmana Kabini, Lokapavani, Bhavani, Noyyal, and Tirtha.• According to the Supreme court verdict
State Quantity of water allocated
Karnataka 284.75 tmcft, including 4.75 tmcft for Bengaluru
Tamil Nadu 404.25 tmcft
Kerala 30 tmcft
Puducherry 7 tmcft
Course of the river:
• From its source, the river Kaveri flows down to the Deccan plateau and forms 2 islandsnamely Srirangapatnam and Shivanasamudra.
• The river flows from Srirangapatnam and enters Tamil Nadu through Dharmapuri district,Erode, Tiruchirappalli, Thanjavur before joining the Bay of Bengal.
Cauvery basin extends over the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, and UnionTerritory of Puducherry
The Cauvery basin contributes 40% of the food grain in Tamil Nadu and 26% inKarnataka
It is one of the best-regulated rivers and 90 to 95 percent of its irrigation and powerproduction potential already stands harnessed.
The basin of the Kaveri River extends to around 87,900 sq km which is around 2.7% ofthe total geography of the country.
Krishna Raja Sagar Dam, Mettur Dam, Mayanur Dam and Grand Anicut are someimportant dams in the Kaveri basin
The Mahanadi River System
The Mahanadi originates from the Satpura Range of central India
• It flows east to the Bay of Bengal. The river drains the state of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh,Jharkhand, and Orissa.
• The largest dam, the Hirakud Dam, is built on the river
River Systems in India Free e-book
Course of the river:
• It flows through Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.• Its farthest headwaters lie 6 kilometres from Pharsiya village, south of Sihawa town in
Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh.• The upper course of Mahanadi runs north as an insignificant stream that goes on to draining
the eastern Chhattisgarh Plain.• Then after meeting with Seonath River, below Baloda Bazar, it turns east and enters Odisha,
its flow augmented by the drainage of hills to the north and south.• The various banks it touches are Raipur, Betul, Bilaspur, Janjgi, Subarnapur, Sambalpur, Angul,
Boudh, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Sonepur, Sambalpur, Subalaya, Birmaharajpur, Boudh.• The Mahanadi proper enters the sea via several channels near Paradeep at False Point,
Jagatsinghpur. The combined Delta of the Mahanadi's numerous distributaries and theBrahmani is one of the largest in India
• National Waterway 5 connects Orissa to West Bengal using the stretch on BrahmaniRiver,East Coast Canal, Matai River and Mahanadi River Delta.
• The agriculture (crop production), livestock and fishing sectors are relatively muchbigger in the Mahanadi delta than in the rest of the country (15.1% of the value addedvs 11.1% for crop production; 11.7% vs 5.5% for livestock and 2.6% vs 0.8% forfisheries)
• The Mahanadi river flows slowly for about 900 kilometres and deposits more silt thanany other river in the Indian subcontinent.
• Culturable area in the basin is about 80,000 square kilometres, which is 4% of the totalculturable area of the country.
• The Mahanadi was notorious for its devastating floods for much of recorded history.Thus, it was called 'the sorrow of Orissa'. However, the construction of the HirakudDam has greatly altered the situation. Today a network of canals, barrages and checkdams keep the river well in control.
www.OliveBoard.in
FREE MOCK TESTS + TOPIC TESTS + SECTIONAL TESTS
For Banking, Insurance, SSC & Railways Exams
Current Affairs
Explore Now Download Now
FREE Ebooks
Your one-stop destination for all exam related
information & preparation resources.
Interact with peers & experts, exchange scores
& improve your preparation.
BLOG FORUM
Explore Now Explore Now
Web APP