La Excellence

Indian River System

Drainage System in India
Drainage basins are those areas, in which
water is concentrated and flows into the
drainage network.
Drainage system in India can be divided
into
1. The Peninsular Drainage And
2. The Himalayan Drainage System
3. Inland Drainage System
1. The Himalayan drainage system:
i. The Himalayan drainage system comprises all the International rivers of India, i.e. the Indus, the Ganga
and the Brahmaputra.
ii. Most of these rivers and their major tributaries re perennial in character.
iii. These rivers are in their youthful stages carvig out a number of erosional landforms like waterfalls,
rapids, gorges, alluvial fans and river terraces.
iv. Most of the rivers, which rise in the Himalayas are antecedent in nature.
2. The Peninsular
Drainage System:
The Peninsular drainage
system comprises the
Mahanadi, the Godavari, the
Krishna, the Cauvery and
other numerous west flowing
rivers.
The drainage of the
peninsular India is much
older than that of the
Himalayan drainage system.
They are mostly seasonal.
The erosional and carrying
capacity is low.
3. Inland Drainage Characteristics-
Some rivers of India do not reach up to the 1.In inland drainage streams join lakes or inland seas.

sea and constitute inland drainage. 2.They are fed by rainy water.

✓ The Ghaggar river in Haryana, which is 3.During rains they experience flash floods.

supposed to be remnant of the 4.During dry season they get dried up.

proverbial ancient Saraswati river, gets

lost in dry sands near Hanumangarh in
Rajasthan.
✓ The Luni river in Rajasthan originates
near Ajmer and after flowing through
Thar desert gets lost in the Rann of
Kutch.
✓ The Aksai Chin region in Ladakh too has
some inland drainage.
The Differences between West Flowing and East Flowing Rivers

West flowing rivers East flowing rivers

Rivers mainly flow between mountain Catchments are wide and fan shaped
ranges; hence the catchments are
elongated and narrow.

Rivers don’t form deltas on their mouths They form deltas and have deltaic deposits.
because of velocity

Waterfalls are found on these rivers No waterfall

Carry less sediments Carry more sediments
The Indus System:
1. The Indus also known as Sindhu has one of the
largest river basins of the world, covering an area
of 1165000 sq km.
2. It cuts across the Ladakh range and formed a gorge
near Gilgit in Jammu and Kashmir.
3. The Shyok, Gilgit, Zaskar, Nubra, Shigar and Dras
are the major tributaries in the upward region.
Afterward, Indus flows Southward and receives
Panjnad a little above Mithankot.
4. The Panjnad is the name given to the five rivers of
Punjab, namely Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Chenab and
Jhelum.
5. It finally discharges into the Arabian sea, East of
Karachi.
6. The Indus flows in India only through the Leh
district.
The government has
cleared eight hydropower
projects of 144 MW on
the Indus river and its
tributaries in Ladakh
 The Indus System- Tributaries

Jhelum – It rises from verinag at Pir Panjal range. It flows through Sringar and Wular lake. It joins
Chenab near Jhang in Pakistan. Tulbul Project near Wular Lake.
Chenab – It is the largest tributary of Indus. It is formed by two streams. Chandra and Bhaga,
which joins at Tandi near Keylong in HP. Selal, Dulhasti and Bagilhar are the hydro projects built
on the river.
Ravi – Originates from Rohtang pass in Kullu hills of HP and flows through the Chamba valley
before joining Chenab river Srai Sidhu in Pakistan. Forms the boundary between Indianand
Pakistan.
Beas – Originates from the Beas Kund near Rohtang pass. The river flows through the Kullu
valley in the Dhauladhar range. It meets Sutlej near Harike in the Punjab plain. Only river that
lies entirely in India.
Sutlej – Originates in the Rakas lake near Mansarovar in Tibet. It passes through the Shipki La in
the Himalayan range. Feeds Bakra Nangal Canal.
The Shyok River - ( 'the river of death’) a tributary of the Indus River that flows through
northern Ladakh and enters Gilgit–Baltistan. Nubra and Galwan are the important tributaries of
this river.
The Shyok River originates at
the Rimo Glacier, one of the
tongues of Siachen Glacier.
The alignment of the Shyok
river is very unusual, originating
from the Rimo glacier, it flows in
a southeasterly direction and, Galwan River
joining the Pangong range, it
takes a northwestern turn,
flowing parallel to its previous LOC LAC
path.
The Shyok valley widens at the
confluence with the Nubra
River but suddenly turns into a
narrow gorge near Yagulung.
Nubra river also has NW-SE
alignment.
It probably indicates a series of
paleo fault lines trending NW-SE
in delimiting the upper courses
of the rivers.
 The Ganga River System
Rivers Source Total River Information
Length Basin
Place Confluence
The Ganga - Rises in Total 861404 sq 1. Left bank tributaries:
formed by Gangotri length of km largest Ramganga, Gomati, Devprayag Bhagirathi +
two head glacier of the 2525 km, river basin Ghaghra, Gandak, Burhi Alaknanda
streams Great 140 km in in India. Gandak and Kosi
Alaknanda Himalaya. UP, 445 km Covers 2. Right bank tributaries: Rudraprayag Mandakini +
Alaknanda
and Above in Bihar more than Yamuna, Son. The
Bhagirathi Devprayag it is and 520 ¼th of the Bhagirathi- Hooghly is the Karnaprayag Pindar +
which join at called as km in WB. country’s western most distributary Alaknanda
Devprayag Bhagirathi and total of the river. Vishnuprayag Dhauliganga +
below it is surface. 3. Beyond Farakka it Alaknanda
referred to as bifurcates itself into
the Ganga. Bhagirathi-Hooghly in WB
and Padma-Meghna in
Bangladesh.
Rivers Source Total Length River Basin Information
(Sq km)
The Rises in 1300 km from its 359000 Important tributaries:
Yamuna Yamunotri glacier, source to Allahabad Chambl, Son, Betwa and Ken.
which is West of where it joins Ganga It joins Ganga at Allahabad
Ganga source.

The Highlands 1,050 km 143,219 Keoladeo National Park is

Chambal of Janapao supplied with water from
Hills (700 m) in Chambal river irrigation project
Badland Topography
the Vindhyan
Water released after power
Range. generation at Gandhi Sagar dam,
Rana Pratap Sagar dam and
Jawahar Sagar Dams, is diverted
by Kota Barrage for irrigation in
Rajasthan and in Madhya
Pradesh through canals.
Rivers Source Total River Basin Information
Length (Sq km)
The Son Rises from the 780 71900 It joins Ganga near Patna.
Amarkantak The important tributaries of the Son
plateau. are the Johilla, the Gopat, the Rihand,
the Kanhar and the North Koel.
Gandak Rises near the 425(In 9540 It flows through central part of Nepal,
Nepal – China India) enters Bihar in Champaran district and
border at an turns South-East to join the left bank of
altitude of 7600 m Ganga near Sonepar.
in the Himalaya Susta dispute between India & Nepal.
Ramganga Rises in the 696 32412 It joins the left bank of Ganga below
Kumaun Himalaya Farukkhabad. It flow through Jim
near Nainital. Corbett NP.
Ghaghara Rises from East of 1080 127500 sq It joins the left bank of Ganga near
Gangotri km Chapra (Bihar).
Kalapani Dispute- Susta Water Dispute
India and Nepal have traditionally disagreed over
the interpretation of the Sugauli Treaty signed in
1816 between the British East India Company and
Nepal, which delimited the boundary along
the Maha Kali River in Nepal.
Rivers Source Total Length River Basin Information
(Sq km)
Kosi Rises from the 730(In 11600 It flows through Eastern Nepal, enters
peak of Nepal- India) Bihar in Sahasra district and joins the left
Tibet bank of Ganga below Bhagalpur(Bihar)
Sorrow of Bihar
Damodar Rises in Chota 541 22000 It joins the Bhagirathi-Hooghly in WB. It is
Nagpur plateau also known as “Sorrow of Bengal”.
in the Palamau Several dams have been constructed in
district of the valley, for the generation of
Jharkhand hydroelectric power. The valley is
and flows called “the Ruhr of India”.
through a rift It joins the Hugli River 48 km below
valley. Kolkata.
 The Brahmaputra River System
Rivers Sources Total River Information
Length Basins
Brahmaputra Rises in the 2960 240000 1. Important tributaries: Subansiri,
(Tsangpo in chemayungdung (In India) Kameng, Dhansiri, Dihag, Lohit, Tista,
Tibet) glacier in the 580000 Torsa, Manas, Burhi Dihang etc.
Kailash range (Total 2. It flows through Tibet, India and
and Mariam La area) Bangladesh and forms the largest delta
pass seperates it of the world along with the Ganga-
from Sundarbans.
Mansarovar 3. The Majuli Island, world’s largest
lake. riverine island is a fluvial landform (a
riverine delta), a unique geographical
occurrence and a result of the dynamics
of this vast river system.
 Teesta River
Teesta river is a tributary of the
Brahmaputra (known as Jamuna in
Bangladesh), flowing through India
and Bangladesh.
It originates in the Himalayas near
Chunthang, Sikkim and flows to the
south through West Bengal before
entering Bangladesh.

✓ A part of the River Basin is in the Kanchanzunga Biosphere Reserve.

✓ Originally, the river continued southward to empty directly into the Padma River (main
channel of Ganga in Bangladesh) but around 1787 the river changed its course to flow
eastward to join the Jamuna river.
✓ The Teesta Barrage dam helps to provide irrigation for the plains between the upper Padma
and the Jamuna.
The Peninsular River System
Peninsular Sources Length (Km) River’s Basin Information
Rivers Areas (sq km)
Godavari Nasik district of 1465 3.13 lakh Pravara, Indravati, Wainganga, Wardha,
Maharashtra Pench, Kanhan, Penganga, Manjira,
Bindusara and sabari rivers are it’s major
tributaries.
It is also known as Dakshin Ganga
or Vridha Ganga (old Ganga)
Kaleshwaram Project, Polavaram Projects
are some of the bigger multipurpose
projects over this river.
Peninsular Sources Length (Km) River’s Basin Information
Rivers Areas (sq km)
Krishna Mahabaleshwar in 1401 2,58,948 Koyna, Tungabhadra and Bhima are the
Sahyadri, MH major tributaries
Nagarjuna Sagar, Sri Sailam are the
major projects on this river.
Peninsular Sources Length (Km) River’s Basin Information
Rivers Areas (sq km)

Kaveri Brahmagiri hills 800 81155 It receives rainfall from both S-W and N-E Monsoon.
Kgad district in Kabini, Noyyal, Arkavati, Bhavan and Amaravati are
Karnataka the important tributaries.
Peninsular Sources Length River’s Basin Information
Rivers (Km) Areas (sq km)
Narmada Rises in 1312 98796 Left bank tributaries: Tawa Brhner etc.
Amarkantak Which is shared by Right bank tributaries : Hiran (Dhuan Dhar or cloud
in MP MP, Gujarat and of Mist Falls is located on this river near Jabalpur.
Mahrashtra It flows through a Rift valley between the Vindhyas
and the Satpura range.
Peninsular Sources Length River’s Basin Information
Rivers (Km) Areas (sq km)
Tapi ot Tapti Rises near 740 65145 (In MP, Left bank tributaries: Purna, Veghar, Girna, Bari and the
Multai on Mharashtra, Panjhara.
the Satpura Gujarat) Right bank tributaries: Betul, Arunavati, Ganjal and Gomal.
rane in Betul It is also known as the Twin or Handmaid of the Narmada.
district (MP)
Peninsular Sources Length River’s Basin Information
Rivers (Km) Areas (sq km)
Sabarmati Mewar hills in 320 21674 Important tributaries –
Aravalli range. Hathmati, Sedhi and Wakul etc.
Mahi Vindhya Range at an 583 34862 MP, Rajasthan and Gujarat share
altitude of 500 m the river basin.
Brahmani Confluence of 800km 51,822 The basin is bounded in the
River the Koel and North by Chhotanagpur plateau,
the Sankh in the West and South by the
Mahanadi basin and in the East
rivers near Rourkela
by the Bay of Bengal.
Near its mouth, the river is also
crossed by the Odisha Coast
Canal that takes water from it-
National Water Way 5.
Peninsular Sources Length
Rivers (Km)
Mahanadi Near Sihawa in Bastar 900km
hills in the state of
Chhattisgarh to the
south of Amarkantak
River’s Basin Information
Areas (sq km)
1,41,589 3rd largest river in Pensinsular system
Tributories- Seonath River, Hasdeo River
,Mand River, Ib River, Jonking River, Tel
River
Hirakud Dam near Sambalpur
Puri, at one of its mouths, is a famous
pilgrimage site.
Peninsular Sources Length River’s Basin Information
Rivers (Km) Areas (sq km)
Pennar Chenna Kasava hill of 597 km. 55,000 Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh
the Nandidurg range, Left Bank: the Jayamangali,
in Chikkaballapura the Kunderu and the
Right bank: the Chiravati,
district of Karnataka
the Papagni etc.
Somasila Project on this river.
Peninsular Sources Length Information
Rivers (Km)
Periyar It 244km Lifeline of Kerala’,
River originates Longest river of Kerala
from Sivagiri It flows through
(West
the Periyar National
Flowing hills of
Park.
River) Western The main tributaries of
Ghats and Periyar are-
flows Muthirapuzha, Mullayar,
through Cheruthoni,
the Periyar Perinjankutti.
The Mullaperiyar dam is
National
located on
Park.
the confluence of
the Mullayar and Periyar
rivers in Kerala’s Idukki
district.
Mullaperiyar Dam-

1. The Mullaperiyar, a 123-year-old dam,

is located on the confluence of the
Mullayar and Periyar rivers in Kerala’s
Idukki district.
2. The dam stands at the height of 53.66
metres and 365.85 metres in length.
3. It is operated and maintained by the
Tamil Nadu for meeting the drinking
water and irrigation requirements of
five of its southern districts.
4. According to a 999-year lease
agreement made during the British ✓ Rule curve in a dam decides the fluctuating storage levels in
rule the operational rights were a reservoir. The gate opening schedule of a dam is based on
handed over to Tamil Nadu. the rule curve.
5. The dam intends to divert the waters ✓ It is part of the “core safety” mechanism in a dam.
of the west-flowing river Periyar ✓ The rule curve level is fixed to avoid emergency opening of
eastward to the arid rain shadow dam shutters in case of a flood-like situation. It helps in
regions of the Tamil Nadu. controlling the water level in the dam during peak monsoon.
Vaigai River
1. South of the Cauvery delta, there are several
streams, of which the Vaigai is the longest.
2. The Vaigai basin is an important basin among
the 12 basins lying between the Cauvery and
Kanyakumari.
3. This basin is bounded by the Varushanadu hills,
the Andipatti hills, the Cardaman hills and the
Palani hills on the West and by the Palk strait
and Palk Bay on the East.
4. The Vaigai drains an area of 7,741 Sq.Km,
which entirely lies in the state of Tamil Nadu.
 ‘Keeladi-An Urban Settlement of Sangam Age
✓ The title of the report was ‘Keeladi-An Urban Settlement of
Sangam Age on the Banks of River Vaigai.’
✓ Previously it was believed that the Keeladi artefacts belonged
to the 3rd century BC.
✓ But the carbon dating test confirmed the date of the Tamil-
Brahmi script is dated to the year 580 BC.
✓ The results suggest that the second urbanization (the first
being the Indus Valley Civilization) of Vaigai plains happened in
Tamil Nadu during the 6th century BC.
The contemporary of which in the Gangetic plains was the Iron
Age & the period of the rise of various Heterodox sects.
✓ Skeletal fragments of Cow/Ox & Buffalo, Sheep & Goat, Nilgai
& Blackbuck, Wild boar, and Peacock suggest that the society
in Keeladi had used animals predominantly for agricultural
purposes.
✓ Pottery specimens from Keeladi confirmed that the water
containers and cooking vessels were shaped out of locally
available raw materials.
All The Best