DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL RUBY PARK, KOLKATA

CLASS IX
SESSION 2022-23
GEOGRAPHY: STUDY MATERIAL

CHAPTER: DRAINAGE: INDIA

DRAINAGE PATTERNS
Depending on the slope of land, underlying rock structure and climate of an area, the streams
in a drainage basin form a certain pattern. Different types of drainage pattern are as follows:

Dendritic Drainage Pattern: When the river channel follows the slope of the terrain, it
develops dendritic pattern. The stream and its tributaries resemble the branches of a tree.
Hence, it is called dendritic pattern.

Trellis Drainage Pattern: When a river is joined by its tributaries at almost right angles, it
develops a trellis pattern. Trellis pattern develops where hard and soft rocks exist parallel to
each other.

Rectangular Drainage Pattern: When rocks are strongly jointed, then rectangular pattern
develops.

Radial Drainage Pattern: When the streams flow in different directions from a central peak
or dome like structure, a radial pattern is developed.

Important terms:
(a) Drainage Basin: The area drained by a single river system is known as Drainage Basin.
E.g. Basin of the River Ganga and its tributaries.

(b) Water Divide: Any elevated area such as an upland that separates two drainage basins is
called a water divide. E.g. Ambala is located on the water divide between The Indus and The
Ganga.

(c) River System: Small streams flowing from different directions come together to form the
main course of the river and ultimately, drains into the seas or the oceans. Thus, the river
along with its tributaries is known as River System. E.g. The Indus River System.
The Drainage System of India
The drainage systems in India can be divided into two major groups:
1. The Himalayan Rivers 2. The Peninsular Rivers.

HIMALAYAN RIVERS PENINSULAR RIVERS

These rivers are perennial in nature.
These rivers originate in the Himalayas and
are fed by glacial melt water as well as
monsoon rains.
These rivers have a long course and carry
huge volume of water and sediments.
These rivers form deep valleys and gorges
in the upper course and broad meanders in
the middle course.
These rivers are mainly seasonal.
These rivers originate from the Western
Ghats and other small hills and plateaus of
the peninsular region of India. They are only
fed by monsoon rains.
These rivers have a small and structured
course and carry lesser volume of water and
sediments.
These rivers flow through shallow valleys
and has more or less a straight course.
Rivers like Narmada flow through rift
valleys.

The Himalayan Rivers:

The Himalayan Rivers: Most of the Himalayan Rivers are perennial (i.e. they have water
throughout the year).
The three major Himalayan River Systems are:
1. The Indus River System
2. The Ganga River System
3. The Brahmaputra River System

The Indus River System

• The river Indus originates in Tibet; near Lake Mansarowar.
• Indus is 2900 km long.
• Zaskar, Nubra, Shyok and Hunza are the main tributaries which join the Indus in
Kashmir region.
• After flowing through Baltistan and Gilgit, the Indus emerges from the mountains at
Attock.
• Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Chenab and Jhelum join together and enter the Indus near
Mithankot in Pakistan.
 • After that, the Indus flows southwards and finally reaches the Arabian Sea, east of
Karachi.
• A little over one-third of the Indus basin is located in India; in the states of Jammu &
Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. The rest of the portion is in Pakistan.
The Ganga River System
• The river Ganga in its origin state is known as Bhagirathi. It is fed by the Gangotri
Glacier.
• Bhagirathi is joined by Alaknanda at Devprayag in Uttarakhand.
• Ganga emerges from the mountains on to the plains at Haridwar.
• The total length of river Ganga is 2500 km.
• Yamuna, Ghaghara, Gandak and Kosi are the major tributaries of Ganga.
• Yamuna originates from the Yamunotri Glacier in the Himalayas. It meets Ganga at
Allahabad.
• Son is the major tributary which come from the peninsular uplands.
• Ganga flows towards east till Farakka (West Bengal).
• The river bifurcates at Farakka. The Bhagirathi-Hooghly (a distributary) flows
towards south to the Bay of Bengal.
• The mainstream flows into Bangladesh; where it is joined by the Brahmaputra. It is
known as Meghna.
• Finally, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra flow into the Bay of Bengal forming the
Sunderban Delta.

The Brahmaputra River System

• The Brahmaputra rises in Tibet; east of Mansarovar lake.
• River Brahmaputra is a little longer than the river Indus.
• Most of the course of the Brahmaputra lies outside India, popularly known as
Tsangpo. After reaching Namcha Barwa, it takes a "U" turn and enters India in
Arunachal Pradesh through a gorge. In this region the river is known as Dihang.
• It is joined by Dibang, Lohit and many other tributaries and finally forms the
Brahmaputra in Assam.
• Unlike other north Indian rivers, the Brahmaputra gets huge deposits of silt on its bed.
This results in rising of the river bed. It also forms riverine islands. Majuli (in Assam)
is the largest riverine island in the world.
• River Brahmaputra is known by different names in different regions: (Tsangpo in
Tibet, Brahmaputra in India & Jamuna in Bangladesh).
THE PENINSULAR RIVER SYSTEM
• Most of the Peninsular Rivers are seasonal because they depend on rainfall for water.
• These rivers have shorter and shallower courses; compared to the Himalayan rivers.
• Most of the major rivers of the Peninsula flow eastwards and drain into the Bay of
Bengal Major rivers are The Mahanadi, The Godavari, The Krishna and The Kaveri.
• These rivers make deltas at their mouths.
• The Narmada and Tapi are the only long rivers, which flow westwards into the
Arabian Sea and make estuaries.
• The drainage basins of the peninsular rivers are smaller in size.

The Narmada Basin:

• The Narmada rises in the Amarkantak hills (Maikal Range) in the Madhya Pradesh.
• The river flows towards the west through rift valleys.
• The Narmada basin covers parts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
• Most of the tributaries join the Narmada at right angles.

The Tapi Basin:

• The Tapi rises in the Satpura ranges, in Betul district of Madhya Pradesh.
• The basin of Tapi covers parts of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
• The river flows towards the west through rift valleys parallel to river Narmada.

The Mahanadi Basin:

• This river originates in the highlands of Chhattisgarh and drains into the Bay of
Bengal.
• It is about 860 km long.
• The Mahanadi basin covers Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa.
The Godavari Basin:
• This is the longest Peninsular river.
• This river is popularly known as "Dakshin Ganga".
• Its drainage basin is also the largest among the peninsular river basins.
 • The Godavari is about 1500 km long.
• It originates from the slopes of the Western Ghats in Nasik district of Maharashtra and
drains into the Bay of Bengal.
• Purna, Wardha, Pranhita, Manjra, Wainganga and Penganga are the main tributaries
of Godavari.

The Krishna Basin:

• The Krishna originates near Mahabaleshwar and drains into the Bay of Bengal.
• It is about 1400 km long.
• Tungabhadra, Koyana, Ghatprabha, Musi and Bhima are some of its tributaries.
• The Krishna basin covers Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

The Kaveri Basin:

• The Kaveri originates in the Brahmagiri range of the Western Ghats and drains into
the Bay of Bengal.
• It is about 760 km long.
• Amravati, Bhavani, Hemavati and Kabini are its main tributaries.
• The Kaveri basin covers Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.