Drainage System of India
River system of an area is called drainage. The area drained by a river is called drainage basin. The uplifted land separating two drainage basins is called water divide. A river along with its tributaries is called river system.
Himalayan Rivers
Peninsular Rivers
Seasonal. Emerge from the Western Ghats. Shallow and Short courses.
Long courses. Perennial. Emerge from the Himalayan (north) mountains, receiving water from the melted snow.
Major rivers are Indus and Brahmaputra.
Intensive erosional activity in their upper courses
Meanders, ox-bow lakes, deltas at their mouths, in their medium and lower courses
Main water divide is western ghats. Runs from north to south close to the western coast.
Major rivers, Godavari, Mahandi, Krishna and Kaveri flow towards east into the Bay of Bengal. Make deltas at tehir mouths.
Small streams flowing west of Western Ghats; Narmada and Tapi are only long ones on the western side, form esturies.
Small river basins
Large river basins
Indus
Ganga
Rises in Tibet, near lake Mansarovar
Enters India in the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir. Forms a picturesque gorge.
Zaskar, Nubra, Hunza and Shyok join in Kashmir
Flows through Baltistan, Gilgit and emerges at Attock
Satluj, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Jhelum join it near Mithankot in Pakistan
One of the longest rivers of the world. 3180 km
Flows southward, eventually reaching Arabian Sea, east of Karachi
A little over a third is located in India; in the states of J&K, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab; rest is in Pakistan
Headwaters called the Bhagirathi are fed by the Gangotri Glacier, joined by the Alaknanda at Devprayag in Uttarakhand.
At Haridwar, it emerges from the mountains into the plains.
Tributaries
Himalayan Rivers
Peninsular Rivers
Yamuna
Ghaghra, Gandak, Kosi
Rises from the Yamunotri glacier in Himalayas
Flows parallel to Ganga. Right Tributary
Meets Ganga at Allahbad
Rise in the Nepal Himalayas
Flood parts of the Northern Plains every year; enrich soil fertility
Chambal, Betwa, Son
Semi-arid ares
Short Courses
Do not carry much water
Flows eastward till Farakka in West Bengal. It is the northernmost point of the Ganga Delta
Bhagirathi-Hoogly flows southward through the deltaic plains into the Bay of Bengal
Mainstream flows southward. Joined by Brahmaputra in Bangladesh. Further downstream, it is called Meghna. Goes further into the Bay of Bengal, forming the Sundarban delta
Length of over 2500 km
Ambala is located on the water divide between Indus and Ganga river systems.
Plains from Ambala to Sunderban stretch over nearly 1800 km, but the fall in slope is only 300 m. Thus, there is a fall of just one metre every 6 km.
River develops large meanders
Brahmaputra
Rises in Tibet, east of Mansarovar lake, very close to the sources of Indus and Satluj.
Slightly longer than Indus, most of its course lies outside India
Flows eastward parallel to himalayas and takes a U turn at Namcha Barwa and enters Arunachal Pradesh through a gorge
Called Dihang at Arunachal Pradesh; joined by the Dibang, the Lohit and other tributaries and is called Brahmaputra in Assaam.
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Tibet: Small amount of water and less silt (Cold and Dry area)
India: Large amount of water and considerable silt (area of High Rainfall)
Forms riverine islands, like Majuli
Braided channel
Narmada Basin
Rises in Amarkantak hills in Madhya Pradesh
Flows west in a rift valley formed due to faulting
Picturesque locations
'Marble Rocks' near Jabalpur (deep gorge)
'Dhuadhar falls' (plunges over steep rocks)
All streams are short and join the river at right angles
Covers Madhya Pradesh and Gujrat
Tapi Basin
Rises in Satpura ranges, Betul district of Madhya Pradesh
Rift valley parallel to Narmada; much shorter
Madhya Pradesh, Gujrat and Maharashtra
Coastal plains between Western Ghats and Arabian Sea are narrow, coastal rivers are short
Main west flowing rivers are Sabarmati, Mahi, Bharathpuzha Periyar
Godavari Basin
largest Peninsular river
Rises from slopes of Western Ghats in Nasik, Maharashtra
length of 1500 km
Drains into Bay of Bengal
Drainage basins also largest among peninsular rivers
Covers parts of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh
Tributaries: Purna, Wardha, Pranhita, Manjra, Wainganga, Penganga
Mahanadi Basin
Highlands of Chattisgarh
Through Odisha, reaches Bay of Bengal
860 km
Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra
Krishna Basin
rises from a spring near Mahabaleshwar
1400 km, reaches Bay of Bengal
Tributaries are Tungabhadra, Koyana, Ghatprabha, Musi, Bhima
Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh
Kaveri Basin
Brahmagri range, Western ghats
Reaches Bay of Bengal in south of Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu
Length of 760 km
Tributaries: Amravati, Bhavani, Hemavati, Kabini
Covers Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu
Smaller RIvers flowing towards the East: Damod, Brahamani, Baitrani, Subarnarekha
Lakes
Most lakes are permanent; some of them contain water only during the rainy season (lakes in the basins of inland drainage of semi-arid regions)
Some lakes formed by glaciers and ice sheets; others formed by wind action and human activities
Ox-bow lakes: A meandering river forms cut-offs that develop into ox-bow lakes
Spits and bars from lagoons in coastall areas: Chilika lake, Pulicat lake, Kolleru lake
Lakes in the region on inland drainage are sometimes seasonal: Sambhar lake in Rajasthan (Salt water lake)
Most freshwater lakes in the Himalayan region. Glacial origin (formed when glaciers dug out a basin, which was filled with snowmelt)
Some lakes formed due to tectonic activity: Wular lake in Jammu and kashmir, largest freshwater lake in India
Dal lake, Bhimtal, Nainital, Loktak and Barapani are some freshwater lakes
Damming of rivers for the generation of hydel power has also led to the formation of lakes: Guru Gobind Sagar
Uses:
Help to regulate the flow of a river (during heavy rains, it prevents flooding and during dry season, helps to maintain the flow of water
Also help in generating hydel power
Moderate the climate of the surroundings: maintain the ecosystem, enhance natural beauty, develop tourism and provide recreation
Role of rivers in the economy
Water from rivers is a basic natural resource
Settlers have been attracted to rivers since ancient times
Irrigation
Navigation
Hydel-power generation
River pollution
domestic, municipal, industrial, agricultural demand growing
More demand for water, rivers drained, reducing volume of water in rivers
Sewage and industrial effluents sent into rivers, affects the self-cleansing capacity of river
Action plans to clean the rivers