River System in India
Drainage
Systems Based on Origin
The Himalayan Rivers: Perennial rivers:
Indus, the Ganga, the Brahmaputra and their tributaries.
The Peninsular Rivers: Non-Perennial rivers: 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.
·
Himalayan rivers, Deccan rivers
and Coastal rivers that drain into the sea.
·
Rivers of the inland drainage
basin (endorheic basin). Streams like the Sambhar in western Rajasthan are
mainly seasonal in character, draining into the inland basins and salt lakes.
In the Rann of Kutch, the only river that flows through the salt desert is the
Luni.
Drainage Systems Based on Orientation to the sea
The Bay of Bengal drainage (Rivers that
drain into Bay of Bengal)(East flowing rivers)
Arabian sea drainage (Rivers that drain
into Arabian sea)(West flowing rivers).
The rivers Narmada (India’s holiest river) and Tapti flow almost
parallel to each other but empty themselves in opposite directions (West
flowing). The two rivers make the valley rich in alluvial soil and teak forests
cover much of the land.
Lop sided distribution
The Arabian Sea drainage or Western drainage receive less rainfall
[Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab receive very low rainfall].
The Eastern drainage or the Bay of Bengal drainage receives rainfall
both from South-west and North-east monsoons.
Most of the Himalayan waters (perennial rivers) flow into eastern
drainage (Ganges and Brahmaputra).
Indian Rivers that flow into Arabian Sea are seasonal or
non-perennial (Luni, Narmada, etc.).
Occurrence of more cyclonic rainfall in the eastern parts is another
major reason.
|
River (UPSC
CSE PYQ) |
Important points |
|
Kaveri
(2013, 2019) |
●
Source:
Talakaveri, Western ghats (KN) ●
Major places:
Srirangam island, Tiruchirappalli, Shivanasamudra Falls (India's second
largest waterfall), Mysore, Erode ●
Dams: Krishna raja
sagar and Mettur ●
3rd largest river
in south India after Krishna and Godavari ●
Drain into: Bay of
Bengal ●
Nagarhole NATIONAL
PARK, Sathyamangalam WILDLIFE SANCTUARY, Wayanad WILDLIFE SANCTUARY lies in
Kaveri basin |
|
Brahmani (2011) |
●
Source: South koel + Sankha river
= Brahmani ●
South koel &
Sankha originate from
Chota nagpur plateau ●
2nd largest river
in Odisha ●
Drain into: Bay of Bengal ●
Major city: Raurkela ●
Flows through Bhitarkanika National Park |
|
Narmada (2013) |
●
Source: Amarkantak
plateau ●
Forms the traditional boundary between North
India and South India ●
Drain into: Gulf of Khambhat (Arabian sea) ●
Longest west flowing
river ●
Flows in a rift valley (Others:
Damodar, Tapti, Mahi) ●
Flows through MP, MH, GJ |
|
Baitrani (2011) |
●
Source: Gonasika/Guptaganga hills ●
Flows through Bhitarkanika National
Park ●
Drain into: Bay of Bengal ●
Small part acts as a boundary between
the states of Odisha and Jharkhand. |
|
Ganga
(2013, 2015) |
●
Source: Gangotri ●
Tributaries: Left
bank-Ramganga, Garra; ●
Drain into: Bay of
Bengal ●
Flows through
Gangotri National Park |
|
Manas
(2013) |
●
Source: Tawang
district ●
Tributary of
Brahmaputra and joins it at Jogighopa ●
Tributaries:
Lhobrak or Kuri chu (only river that rises north of the Great Himalayas) ●
Flows through
Manas National Park |
|
Barak
(2014) |
●
Source: Liyai
Kullen Village in Manipur ●
Flows through Manipur,
Nagaland, Mizoram, Assam ●
Tributaries:
Sonai, jiri, Tlawng, Jatinga, Longai, Madhura ●
Not a tributary of
Brahmaputra ●
Enters Bangladesh
where it bifurcates into the Surma river and the Kushiyara river |
|
Lohit
(2014, 2016) |
●
Source: Kangri
Karpo, Tibet ●
Enters India in
Arunachal ●
Tributary of
Brahmaputra ●
Flows through
Mishmi hills ●
Known Sanctuary as
River
of blood due to laterite
soil ●
Dhola-sadiya
bridge (Bhupen
hazarika setu) - India’s longest
bridge on water is on Lohit ●
Places: Parshuram kund |
|
Subansiri
(2014) |
●
Source: Mount
porom, Tibet ●
Largest tributary
of Brahmaputra ●
Flows through Miri
hills ●
Cities: Lakhimpur ●
Dam: Lower Subansiri
dam |
|
Godavari
(2015, 2016, 2022) |
●
Source:
Trimbakeshwar, Nashik, Maharashtra ●
2nd largest river
after Ganga. ●
Flows through Maharashtra,
Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Oddissa ●
Flows through Papikonda
National Park ●
Coringa mangrove
sanctuary and Jayakwadi Bird Sanctuary lies in its delta ●
Pranhita is
largest tributary ●
Drain into: Bay of
Bengal ●
Dams: Indira sagar
(Polavaram) ●
Cities: Nashik,
Paithan, Nanded, Mancherial, Bhadrachalam, Polavaram, Rajahmundry,
Narsapuram, Deomali peak |
|
Brahmaputra
(2016) |
●
Source:
Chemayungdung glacier, Manasarovar, Tibet ●
Cities: Dibrugarh,
Jorhat, Tezpur, Guwahati, Dhubri, Sirajganj, Mymensingh, Tangail ●
Route of national
waterway 2 ●
On the south bank
of the Brahmaputra are the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, Kaziranga National
Park, Pobitora National Park ●
Orang National
Park lies on the south bank ●
Flows through
Kaziranga National Park ●
Drain: Merges with
the Ganges, popularly known as the Padma in Bangladesh, and becomes the
Meghna and ultimately empties into the Bay of Bengal |
|
Krishna
(2016) |
●
Source:
Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra ●
Flows through Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh. ●
Cities: Wai,
Narsobawadi, Vijayawada, Srisailam, Bhilawadi, Amravati ●
Hyderabad lies on
Musi river ●
Dams: Nagarjuna
sagar, Srisailam, Almatti ●
River Bhima is
longest tributary ●
Chandoli NP,
Kudremukh NP, Kasu Brahmananda reddy NP, Mahavir harina vanasthali NP,
Mrugavani NP lies in Krishna basin ●
Drains into : Bay
of bengal |
|
Teesta
(2017, 2019) |
●
Source: Pauhunri,
Zemu Glacier, Sikkim ●
Cities:
Jalpaiguri, Changthang, Kalimpong ●
Tributaries:
Dikchu, Rangeet, Rangpo, Relling, talung, ranikhola ●
Rangeet is the largest
tributary ●
Drains into:
Brahmaputra |
|
Tungabhadra
(2019) |
●
Source: Koodli,
Shimoga district, Karnataka ●
Cities: Siruguppa,
Hospet, Hampi, Kampli, Mantralayam, Kurnool, Gangavathi ●
Tributaries ○
Left: Tunga River,
Kumudvathi River, Varada River ○
Right: Bhadra River,
Vedavathi River |
|
Yamuna
(2019) |
●
Source: Yamunotri,
Banderpooch peaks, Uttrakhand ●
Cities: Noida,
Mathura, Agra, Firozabad, Etawah, Auraiya and Allahabad, New Delhi ●
Right bank
tributary of Ganga ●
Crosse 4 states
Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi ●
Flows through
Kalesar National Park |
|
Chenab
(2019, 2021) |
●
Source: Baralacha
la, Himachal Pradesh ●
Union of two
headwaters, Chandra and Bhaga, which rise in the upper Himalayas in the
Lahaul region ●
Flows through
Jammu, Reasi ●
Left bank
tributary of Indus ●
Drains into Sutlej
and forms Panjnad river ●
Dams: Salal,
Baglihar, Dulhasti, Rattle, Pakal dul, Kishtwar, Kiru |
|
Nubra
(2019) |
●
Source: Siachen
glacier, Ladakh ●
Flows between the
Karakoram range and the Saltoro Mountains ●
Tributary of the
Shyok River ○ Shyok is tributary of Indus |
|
Goriganaga
(2019) |
Source: Milam glacier, Pithoragarh, Uttrakhand Joins the Kali River at Jauljibi |
|
Indus
(2021) |
●
Source: Lake
Mansarovar, Tibet ●
Chenab, Jhelum
& Ravi pour into Sutlej ●
Sutlej is longest
tributary ●
Chenab is largest
tributary ●
Drains into
Arabian sea |
|
Nagavali
(2021) |
Source: Lakhbahal, Kalahandi, Odisha (Eastern
ghats) Tributaries: Suvarnamukhi, Vegavathi Cities:
Srikakulam Drains into Bay of Bengal |
|
Chambal
(2022) |
●
Source: Bhadakla falls,
Vindhyachal, MP ●
Dams: Gandhisagar ●
Right bank tributary
of Yamuna |
