Rivers of India – Indian Geography
Drainage is the water flow system through well defined channels. Drainage patterns are an outcome of geological time period, nature and structure of rocks, topography, slope, amount of water flowing and periodicity of the flow. The types of drainage patterns and systems are as follows:
Dendritic – look branches of a tree, mainly north Indian Plains have rivers making this type of pattern.
Radial – Flow in all the directions from a hill, like Son and Narmada (rivers of Amarkantak Plateau
Trevellis– Primary tributaries flow in parallel with each other and secondary tributaries join them at right angles.
Centripetal – Rivers discharge water from all directions into a lake or depression.
Catchment Area: it is the specific place or area from where river water is collected and stored.
Drainage Basin: Area drained by a river and its tributaries, but large rivers, it is called a river basin.
Watershed: Small area separating one drainage basin from other one, for small rivulets and rills, it is called as watershed.
River basin and watersheds are marked by unity.
The rivers in India are classified on three different methods, let us look into each one of them.
I. On basis of discharge of water:
Through the Delhi ranges, Aravalis and the Sahayadris, there is a separation of two systems of drainage in India:
Arabian Sea Drainage system: 23% of drainage falls into the Arabian Sea. Indus, Narmada, Tapi, Mahi and Periyar systems are included under this.
Bay of Bengal Drainage system: 77% of drainage in India falls into the Bay of Bengal. Ganga, Brahmaputra, Mahanadi, Krishna, and Kaveri river systems.
II. Based on Size of Watershed:
There are three types of rivers in India on the basis of the size of watershed.
Major River Basins: more than 20000 square km of the catchment area. 14 such basins are – Ganga, Brahmaputra, Krishna, Tapi, Narmada, Mahi, Pennar, Sabarmati, Barak, Mahanadi, Godavari, Kaveri, Indus, Brahmani and Baitarni.
Medium River Basins: Catchment area between 200-20,000 square km. 44 such basins – kalindi, Periyar, Meghna, etc.
Minor River Basins system: Catchment area less than 2000 square km. Rivers in areas of low rainfall.
III. Based on origin, nature and Characteristics:
It is the most accepted method, based on the origin, nature and characteristics, there are two types of drainage system with various rivers in India.
1. Himalayan Drainage
This drainage system is perennial river system, fed by snow and precipitation. Makes deep gorges, V-shaped valleys and waterfalls. In plain are, they form flat valleys, ox-bow lakes, flood plains, braided channels, deltas near the river mouth.
A) Indus River System:
Origin is from glaciar near Bokhar Chu in Tibet in Kailash Mountain Range. The Indus river moves between Zaskar and Ladakh mountain range, passes through Ladakh and Baltistan. It cuts Ladakh range, forming a gorge near Gilgit in state Jammu and Kashmir.It enters Pakistan near Chillar in dardistan region.
The Tributaries of Indus River are: Shyok from ladakh region, Gilgit, Zaskar, Hunza, Nubra, Shigar, Gasting, Dras. Near hills of Attock, Kabul, Khurran, Tochi, Gomal, Viboa, Sangar on right bank. Above Mithankot region, it receives “Panjnad” – 5 rivers of Punjab: Satluj, Beas, Ravi, Chenab, Jhelum. Discharge into Arabian Sea, east of Karachi.
In India, Indus River only flows through Leh district.
Jhelum: Originates from spring at Verinag, at foot of Pir Panjal(SE Kashmir). It flows through Srinagar and Wular Lake. It then enters Pakistan through deep narrow gorge. It then joins Chenab river near Jhang in Pakistan.
Chenab: It is largest tributary river of Indus River. Two streams Chandra and Bhaga join to form Chenab near Keylong in Himachal Pradesh.
Ravi: It origins from near west of Rohtang pass and flows through the Chambal valley from Kullu hills. It then drains region of between South-eastern Pir Panjal and Dhauladhar ranges. Ravi river then joins Chenab in Pakistan at Sarai Sindhu.
Beas: It origins near Beas kund near Rohtang pass. It passes through Kullu valley region, gorges at Kati and Largi in Dhaoladhar range. It eners Punjab State then, meets Satluj at Harike.
Satluj: It originates in Rakas lake region near Mansarovar in Tibet, there it is called Langchen Khambab. Satluj flows in parallel to Indus for 400 km, enters India at gorge in Rupar. through Shipki La it enters Punjab plains. It is a Bhakra Nangal project feeder. Satluj is an Antecendent river.
B) Ganga River System:
It's origin Gangotri glaciar near Gaumukh in Uttarakashi in Uttarakhand. There it is called Bhagirathi.
Alaknanda originates- Satopanth glaciar above Badrinath formed by combination of Dhauli and Vishnu Ganga at Joshimath(Vishnu Prayag). At Karna Prayag, Pindar joins Alaknanda. At Rudra Prayag region, Mandakini or Kali ganga meets Alaknanda. At Devprayag, Alaknanda meets with Bhagirathi to form Ganga.
Ganga get entering the plains at Haridwar and moves in the direction of South to Southeast then East. Thereafter, it splits into Bhagirathi and the Hugli. Ganga discharges in Bay of Bengal near Sagar Island.
Right Bank tributaries of Ganga are Yamuna and Son.
Left Bank tributaries of Ganga are Ramaganga, Gomati, Ghagghara, Gandak, Kosi, Mahananda.
Yamuna: It is the longest and westernmost tributary. It originates from Yamunotri glaciaron Bunderpunch range. Joins Ganga at Prayag at Allahabad. Its tributaries rivers are Chambal, Sind, Betwa, Ken on right. Hindan, Rind, Sengar, Varuna from left bank.
Chambal: It originates at Mhow region in Malwa plateau of MP. Flows through gorge to Kota (Gandhisagar dam) to Bundi, Sawai Madhopur, Dholpur and joins Yamuna. Chambal ravines are badland topography.
Gandak: Kaligandak and Trishulganga combine to form Gandak river. It originates from Nepal Himalayas between Dhaulagiri and Mt. Everest. It drains central Nepal, enters ganga region in Champaran district of Bihar. Gandak joins Ganga at Sonpur near Patna.
Ghaghara: It's Origin is from Mapchachuno glaciar in transhimalayas and comes out from a deep gorge at Shishapani.
Kosi: It is an antecendent river which origins from North of Mt. Everest inTibet. Kosi joins Ganga at Bhagalpur.
Ramganga: Its origin is in Garhwal Hills and joins Ganga near Kannauj.
Damodar: It originates at Chotanagpur Plateau and flows through rift valley. Damodar joins Hugli. It is also known in India as “Sorrow of Bengal” earlier, now it is a boon to WB due to the Damodar Valley Corporation Multipurpose Project.
Mahananda: It's Origin is from Darjiling regions hills and joins Ganga as last left bank tributary in West Bengal.
Son river: It is a large south bank tributary river which has its origin at Amarkantak plateau. Son joins Ganga at Arrah, west of Patna.
C) Brahmaputra River System:
Its Origin is at Chemayungdung glaciar in Kailash range near Mansarovar lake. It initially flows eastwards longitudinally as Tsangpo. Then it emerges as turbulant river, forms deep gorge at Namcha Barwa in Central Himalayas. the name Dihang(Siang) river it enters India at Sadiya town in Arunachal Pradesh and flows south to meet Dibang(Sikang) and Lohit to form Brahmaputra.
Left Bank tributaries of Brahmaputra are : Burhi Dihing, Dhansari
Right Bank tributaries are as follows: Subansiri(origin in Tibet, antecendent river), Kameng, Manas, sankosh.
Brahmaputra enters Bangladesh country near Dhubri and flows south. Thereafter Testa joins on its right bank and goes by the name Yamuna. and falls into Indian Bay of Bengal after meeting Padma.
2. Peninsular Drainage System
The water division occurs at Western Ghats along western coast. Except Narmada and Tapi rivers, most rivers flow from west to east into Bay of Bengal.
A) Narmada:
It originates- from western flank of Amarkantak plateau and flows in rift valley between satpura in south and Vindhyan ranges in north. Narmada river forms a gorge in marble rocks and Dhunadhar waterfall near Jabalpur. Sardar Sarovar dam Project has been built in Narmada. It meets Arabian Sea south part of Bharuch forming a 27 km long estuary.
B) Tapi:
It origis at Multai in betul region in Madhya Pradesh and drains Maharashtra, MP and Gujarat. Tapi river flows in rift valley does not have much alluvial deposits.
C) Luni:
It is ephemeral and largest in Rajasthan side in west of Aravali. Luni originates near Pushkar region in two branches of Saraswati and Sabarmati. Join each others at Govindgarh and from here it is called Luni river and drains into Rann of Kuchchh.
D) Mahanadi:
It origins - from Sihawa in Raipur, Chattisgarh through Orissa into Bay of Bengal. It covers MP, Chhattisgarh and Orissa.
E) Godavari/ Dakshin Ganga:
Godavari is the largest Indian Peninsular river system in India. It originates fron Nasik, Maharashtra. It drains into Bay of Bengal. Godavari runs through Maharashtra, MP, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh.
F) Krishna:
It is the second largest river east flowing peninsula river. Krishna originates from Mahabaleshwar in Sahayadri. Its tributaries are Koyna, Tungabhadra and Bhima. It drains into Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh.
G) Kaveri:
It originates- from Brahmagiri hills of Kogadu district in Karnataka. Kaveri receives water through southwest monsoon and northeast monsoon also. So less fluctuations in water levels than other peninsular rivers. Drains Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Kabini, Bhavani, Amaravati are its tributaries.
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Dendritic – look branches of a tree, mainly north Indian Plains have rivers making this type of pattern.
Radial – Flow in all the directions from a hill, like Son and Narmada (rivers of Amarkantak Plateau
Trevellis– Primary tributaries flow in parallel with each other and secondary tributaries join them at right angles.
Centripetal – Rivers discharge water from all directions into a lake or depression.
Catchment Area: it is the specific place or area from where river water is collected and stored.
Drainage Basin: Area drained by a river and its tributaries, but large rivers, it is called a river basin.
Watershed: Small area separating one drainage basin from other one, for small rivulets and rills, it is called as watershed.
River basin and watersheds are marked by unity.
The rivers in India are classified on three different methods, let us look into each one of them.
I. On basis of discharge of water:
Through the Delhi ranges, Aravalis and the Sahayadris, there is a separation of two systems of drainage in India:
Arabian Sea Drainage system: 23% of drainage falls into the Arabian Sea. Indus, Narmada, Tapi, Mahi and Periyar systems are included under this.
Bay of Bengal Drainage system: 77% of drainage in India falls into the Bay of Bengal. Ganga, Brahmaputra, Mahanadi, Krishna, and Kaveri river systems.
II. Based on Size of Watershed:
There are three types of rivers in India on the basis of the size of watershed.
Major River Basins: more than 20000 square km of the catchment area. 14 such basins are – Ganga, Brahmaputra, Krishna, Tapi, Narmada, Mahi, Pennar, Sabarmati, Barak, Mahanadi, Godavari, Kaveri, Indus, Brahmani and Baitarni.
Medium River Basins: Catchment area between 200-20,000 square km. 44 such basins – kalindi, Periyar, Meghna, etc.
Minor River Basins system: Catchment area less than 2000 square km. Rivers in areas of low rainfall.
III. Based on origin, nature and Characteristics:
It is the most accepted method, based on the origin, nature and characteristics, there are two types of drainage system with various rivers in India.
1. Himalayan Drainage
This drainage system is perennial river system, fed by snow and precipitation. Makes deep gorges, V-shaped valleys and waterfalls. In plain are, they form flat valleys, ox-bow lakes, flood plains, braided channels, deltas near the river mouth.
A) Indus River System:
Origin is from glaciar near Bokhar Chu in Tibet in Kailash Mountain Range. The Indus river moves between Zaskar and Ladakh mountain range, passes through Ladakh and Baltistan. It cuts Ladakh range, forming a gorge near Gilgit in state Jammu and Kashmir.It enters Pakistan near Chillar in dardistan region.
The Tributaries of Indus River are: Shyok from ladakh region, Gilgit, Zaskar, Hunza, Nubra, Shigar, Gasting, Dras. Near hills of Attock, Kabul, Khurran, Tochi, Gomal, Viboa, Sangar on right bank. Above Mithankot region, it receives “Panjnad” – 5 rivers of Punjab: Satluj, Beas, Ravi, Chenab, Jhelum. Discharge into Arabian Sea, east of Karachi.
In India, Indus River only flows through Leh district.
Jhelum: Originates from spring at Verinag, at foot of Pir Panjal(SE Kashmir). It flows through Srinagar and Wular Lake. It then enters Pakistan through deep narrow gorge. It then joins Chenab river near Jhang in Pakistan.
Chenab: It is largest tributary river of Indus River. Two streams Chandra and Bhaga join to form Chenab near Keylong in Himachal Pradesh.
Ravi: It origins from near west of Rohtang pass and flows through the Chambal valley from Kullu hills. It then drains region of between South-eastern Pir Panjal and Dhauladhar ranges. Ravi river then joins Chenab in Pakistan at Sarai Sindhu.
Beas: It origins near Beas kund near Rohtang pass. It passes through Kullu valley region, gorges at Kati and Largi in Dhaoladhar range. It eners Punjab State then, meets Satluj at Harike.
Satluj: It originates in Rakas lake region near Mansarovar in Tibet, there it is called Langchen Khambab. Satluj flows in parallel to Indus for 400 km, enters India at gorge in Rupar. through Shipki La it enters Punjab plains. It is a Bhakra Nangal project feeder. Satluj is an Antecendent river.
B) Ganga River System:
It's origin Gangotri glaciar near Gaumukh in Uttarakashi in Uttarakhand. There it is called Bhagirathi.
Alaknanda originates- Satopanth glaciar above Badrinath formed by combination of Dhauli and Vishnu Ganga at Joshimath(Vishnu Prayag). At Karna Prayag, Pindar joins Alaknanda. At Rudra Prayag region, Mandakini or Kali ganga meets Alaknanda. At Devprayag, Alaknanda meets with Bhagirathi to form Ganga.
Ganga get entering the plains at Haridwar and moves in the direction of South to Southeast then East. Thereafter, it splits into Bhagirathi and the Hugli. Ganga discharges in Bay of Bengal near Sagar Island.
Right Bank tributaries of Ganga are Yamuna and Son.
Left Bank tributaries of Ganga are Ramaganga, Gomati, Ghagghara, Gandak, Kosi, Mahananda.
Yamuna: It is the longest and westernmost tributary. It originates from Yamunotri glaciaron Bunderpunch range. Joins Ganga at Prayag at Allahabad. Its tributaries rivers are Chambal, Sind, Betwa, Ken on right. Hindan, Rind, Sengar, Varuna from left bank.
Chambal: It originates at Mhow region in Malwa plateau of MP. Flows through gorge to Kota (Gandhisagar dam) to Bundi, Sawai Madhopur, Dholpur and joins Yamuna. Chambal ravines are badland topography.
Gandak: Kaligandak and Trishulganga combine to form Gandak river. It originates from Nepal Himalayas between Dhaulagiri and Mt. Everest. It drains central Nepal, enters ganga region in Champaran district of Bihar. Gandak joins Ganga at Sonpur near Patna.
Ghaghara: It's Origin is from Mapchachuno glaciar in transhimalayas and comes out from a deep gorge at Shishapani.
Kosi: It is an antecendent river which origins from North of Mt. Everest inTibet. Kosi joins Ganga at Bhagalpur.
Ramganga: Its origin is in Garhwal Hills and joins Ganga near Kannauj.
Damodar: It originates at Chotanagpur Plateau and flows through rift valley. Damodar joins Hugli. It is also known in India as “Sorrow of Bengal” earlier, now it is a boon to WB due to the Damodar Valley Corporation Multipurpose Project.
Mahananda: It's Origin is from Darjiling regions hills and joins Ganga as last left bank tributary in West Bengal.
Son river: It is a large south bank tributary river which has its origin at Amarkantak plateau. Son joins Ganga at Arrah, west of Patna.
C) Brahmaputra River System:
Its Origin is at Chemayungdung glaciar in Kailash range near Mansarovar lake. It initially flows eastwards longitudinally as Tsangpo. Then it emerges as turbulant river, forms deep gorge at Namcha Barwa in Central Himalayas. the name Dihang(Siang) river it enters India at Sadiya town in Arunachal Pradesh and flows south to meet Dibang(Sikang) and Lohit to form Brahmaputra.
Left Bank tributaries of Brahmaputra are : Burhi Dihing, Dhansari
Right Bank tributaries are as follows: Subansiri(origin in Tibet, antecendent river), Kameng, Manas, sankosh.
Brahmaputra enters Bangladesh country near Dhubri and flows south. Thereafter Testa joins on its right bank and goes by the name Yamuna. and falls into Indian Bay of Bengal after meeting Padma.
2. Peninsular Drainage System
The water division occurs at Western Ghats along western coast. Except Narmada and Tapi rivers, most rivers flow from west to east into Bay of Bengal.
A) Narmada:
It originates- from western flank of Amarkantak plateau and flows in rift valley between satpura in south and Vindhyan ranges in north. Narmada river forms a gorge in marble rocks and Dhunadhar waterfall near Jabalpur. Sardar Sarovar dam Project has been built in Narmada. It meets Arabian Sea south part of Bharuch forming a 27 km long estuary.
B) Tapi:
It origis at Multai in betul region in Madhya Pradesh and drains Maharashtra, MP and Gujarat. Tapi river flows in rift valley does not have much alluvial deposits.
C) Luni:
It is ephemeral and largest in Rajasthan side in west of Aravali. Luni originates near Pushkar region in two branches of Saraswati and Sabarmati. Join each others at Govindgarh and from here it is called Luni river and drains into Rann of Kuchchh.
D) Mahanadi:
It origins - from Sihawa in Raipur, Chattisgarh through Orissa into Bay of Bengal. It covers MP, Chhattisgarh and Orissa.
E) Godavari/ Dakshin Ganga:
Godavari is the largest Indian Peninsular river system in India. It originates fron Nasik, Maharashtra. It drains into Bay of Bengal. Godavari runs through Maharashtra, MP, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh.
F) Krishna:
It is the second largest river east flowing peninsula river. Krishna originates from Mahabaleshwar in Sahayadri. Its tributaries are Koyna, Tungabhadra and Bhima. It drains into Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh.
G) Kaveri:
It originates- from Brahmagiri hills of Kogadu district in Karnataka. Kaveri receives water through southwest monsoon and northeast monsoon also. So less fluctuations in water levels than other peninsular rivers. Drains Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Kabini, Bhavani, Amaravati are its tributaries.
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