INDIAN

RIVER
SYSTEM
Major River Systems of India

The river systems of India are

mainly divided into two parts
➔ Himalayan river system
➔ Peninsular river system

The Himalayan river system further

divides into three parts
➔Indus River System
➔Ganga River System
➔Brahmaputra River System
2
INDUS RIVER SYSTEM
 Indus River System
• The Indus River originates from a glacier near Bokhar Chu
in the Kailash mountain range, near Mansarovar lake in
Tibet.
• Its total length is 2,880 km and its length in India is 1,114
km.
• Flowing in the northwest direction through the Ladakh
and Zanskar ranges, it passes through Ladakh and
Baltistan.
• In Tibet, the Indus River is called 'Singi Khamban'.
• Near Attock, the Indus River emerges from the
mountainous region and enters the plains.
• Five rivers (Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej) join
the Indus River in the Punjab province of Pakistan and
finally, the Indus River joins the Arabian Sea near Karachi.
Chenab River (Askini)
 It is the largest tributary of the Indus.
 The total length of this river is 1,180 km.
 In Himachal Pradesh, this river is known as 'Chandrabhaga'.
 Flowing parallel to the Pir Panjal range in the west, it forms
a gorge near Kishtwar and enters the plains near Akhnoor.
 Salal Project, Dulhasti Project, Ratle Project, and Baglihar
Project have been built on the Chenab River.
 Jhelum River (Vitasta)
 The Jhelum River originates from the 'Sheshnag Lake'
near Verinag (located in the south of the Kashmir Valley)
in the Pir Panjal.
 This river joins the Chenab River near Jhang in Pakistan
via Wular Lake.
 The Tulbul Project has been constructed on the Jhelum
River.
Ravi River (Parushni)
 The river originates from the west of the Rohtang Pass in the
Kullu Hills of Himachal Pradesh.
 This river flows through the southeastern part of Pir Panjal
and between Dhauladhar before meeting the Chenab River.
 The Ravi River joins the Chenab River near Sarai Sindhu in
Pakistan.
 Thein Dam (Ranjit Sagar Dam) has been constructed on it.
 Kartarpur Sahib corridor connects Dera Baba Nanak Shrine in
Gurdaspur, India to Kartarpur Gurudwara in Pakistan, which
is located near the banks of the river Ravi.
 Vyas River (Vipasha)
 Beas River originates from Beas Kund near Rohtang Pass,
whose height is 4000 meters above sea level.
This river joins the Sutlej River near Harike, where the 'Harike
Barrage' has been constructed. 'Indira Gandhi Canal' has been
constructed from Harike Barrage itself.
 The Beas is the only river among the five tributaries of the
Indus that flows only in India.
Sutlej River (Shatudri)
 The Sutlej River originates in Tibet near Lake Mansarovar in
'Rakshasa Sal' (4,555 m above sea level), where it is known as
'Langchen Khambab'.
 The total length of this river is 1450 km (1,050 km in Indian
territory).
 This river flows parallel to the Indus River for about 400
kilometers before entering India and entering India through
the Shipki La Pass.
 Bhakra-Nangal Project, Nathpa Jhakri Project, and Sirhind
Project have been built on this river
Ganga River System

● The Alaknanda River originates from the Satopanth in

Uttarakhand and the Bhagirathi River from the
'Gangotri Glacier' near Gomukh, which meets at
Devprayag and is called the 'Ganga River'.

● The temple of Badrinath located in Uttarakhand is

situated on the banks of the Alaknanda River.
Confluence of Rivers Place

Alaknanda and Dhauliganga Vishnuprayag

Alaknanda and Nandakini Nandprayag

Alaknanda and Pindar Karnaprayag

Alaknanda and Mandakini Rudraprayag

Alaknanda and Bhagirathi Devprayag

 Ganga River

 The Ganges River was given the status of a national river in 2008.
 The river Ganges enters the plain at Haridwar.
 The length of the Ganges River is 2,525 km.
 The drainage system of river Ganges is the largest drainage system in
India.
 It is spread over an area of about 8.6 lakh square kilometers in India.
 After flowing till Farakka in West Bengal, the river Ganges divides into
two streams-
1) First stream Hooghly (West Bengal) and
2) The second stream enters Bangladesh by the name of Bhagirathi
 Ganga River
 After entering Bangladesh, Ganga is called 'Padma' and after meeting
Brahmaputra it is called 'Meghna'.
 The Ganges River flows through Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
Sahibganj (Jharkhand) and West Bengal.
 India's first National Waterway No-1 has been constructed on the river
Ganga, which is from Prayagraj to Haldia.
Tributaries:
Yamuna (the westernmost and longest tributary of the Ganges), Son, Tons
(from the right) Ramganga, Gomti, Ghagra, Gandak

Major Cities Situated on the Ganga river:

Haridwar, Kannauj, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Patna, Bhagalpur
 Yamuna River
 The Yamuna River originates from the Yamunotri Glacier, which is
located on the western slope of the Bandarpunch range in the
Himalayas.
 Yamuna, the largest tributary of Ganga, is known as an 'open sewer'.
 It is the westernmost and longest tributary of the Ganga.
 Chambal, Sindh, Betwa, Ken, Hindon are its main tributaries.
 It joins the river Ganga near Prayagraj.
 Gandak River

 Gandak river is formed by the meeting of Kali Gandak and Trishul

Ganga.
 This river enters the plains in the Champaran district of Bihar and
joins the Ganga river at Sonpur near Patna.
 Kosi River

 The Arun is the main stream(tributaries) of the Kosi River, which

originates north of Mount Everest in Tibet.
 It is called 'Sorrow of Bihar'.
 This river is known to change course.
 Ghaghra River

 The Ghaghra River originates from the Mapchachungo Glacier near

Mansarovar Lake.
 It joins the river Ganga near Chhapra in Bihar.
 Ramganga River

 The origin of this river is from the hills of Garhwal near Garsen.
 It is a relatively small tributary of the Ganga, which joins near Kannauj.
 This river flows through the Jim Corbett National Park.
 Brahmaputra River
 The Brahmaputra, one of the largest rivers in the world, originates from
the Chemayungdung Glacier near Lake Manasarovar in the Kailash
mountain range.
 The Brahmaputra River enters India by carving a deep gorge near
Namcha Barwa.
 The Brahmaputra River enters Bangladesh near Dhubri in Assam and
flows in a southerly direction.
 The total length of this river is 2900 km, which flows through Tibet
(China), India, and Bangladesh.
 The Brahmaputra River joins with the Ganges River to form the world's
largest delta, also known as the 'Sunderban Delta'.
 Brahmaputra River
 Most of the Brahmaputra's tributaries are large and are known for
floods, diversion and coastal erosion due to heavy rainfall in their
catchment areas.
 The world's largest river island 'Majuli' is situated on the Brahmaputra
river in Assam. Majuli, in the Brahmaputra river is the largest inhabited
riverine island in the world.
 National Waterway No-2 has been built on the Brahmaputra river. It is
from Sadiya to Dhubri.
 Brahmaputra River
Other names of Brahmaputra River:
Tibet - Tsangpo (meaning 'purifier')
Arunachal Pradesh- Dihang
Assam Valley- Brahmaputra
Bangladesh- Jamuna

Tributaries: Subansiri, Manas, Kameng, Sankosh, Teesta, Lohit (it is called

'bloody river'), Dhansiri, Budhi Dihang, Kapili

Major Cities Situated on the Godavari: Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Tezpur

 Teesta River
 The Teesta River originates in Sikkim.
 The Rangit is its main tributary.
 The Teesta River is a tributary of the Brahmaputra, which joins the
Brahmaputra in Bangladesh.
 Sankosh River

 The source of this river is from the Himalayan range near Bhutan.
 It is a tributary of the Brahmaputra.
 This river forms the border of Assam and West Bengal.
 Barak River
 The Barak River is also known as the Surma River.
 It flows through Northeast India and East Bangladesh,
 Its length is about 560 miles (900 km).
 It originates in the hills of Manipur, where it is called Barak.
 Lohit River
 Lohit River or Zuyu River is a river in India and China.
 It is a tributary of the Brahmaputra river.
 The river originates in the Kangri Garpo Range, in the Tibet
Autonomous Region, where it is known as the Zuyu River.
 Further, it enters India in Arunachal Pradesh and flows for 200 km
before entering the plains of Assam where it is known as the Lohit
River.
Peninsular
River
System
 Godavari River
 The Godavari River originates from Trimbakeshwar in Nashik district of
Maharashtra and flows into the Bay of Bengal.
 It is the largest river of peninsular India, with a total length of 1,465 km.
 Its catchment area is 3.13 lakh sq km.
 The catchment area of this river is in Maharashtra (most 49%), Madhya
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh Orissa, and
Karnataka.
 Godavari River of India is known as 'Vriddha Ganga' or 'Dakshin Ganga'.
 Nashik city of Maharashtra is situated on the banks of river Godavari.
Kumbh Mela is organized here every 12 years.
 Godavari River
Tributaries: Panganga, Wainganga, Indravati, Pranahita, Manjra, Purna,
and Wardha are the main tributaries.

Major Cities Situated on the Godavari Nashik, Nanded (Maharashtra)

Rajahmundry (Andhra Pradesh)

Multi-purpose project:
Polavaram Irrigation Project
Pochampad Project
 Krishna River
 The Krishna is the second largest east-flowing river of the Peninsula.
 The Krishna River rises from the Western Ghats near Jor village of Satara
district of Maharashtra.
 The main tributaries of Krishna are Tungabhadra (Andhra Pradesh +
Karnataka), and Bhima (Mainly Maharashtra).
 Important ones are the Tungabhadra, Ghataprabha, Nagarjunasagar,
Malaprabha, Bhima, Bhadra, and Telugu Ganga.
 Projects on Krishna River
The major Hydro Power stations in the basin are Koyna,
.
Tungabhadara, SriSailam, Nagarjuna Sagar, Almatti, Naryanpur, and Bhadra.
Tungabhadra is a major inter-States project in the basin. In order to operate the project
and regulate the flows among the beneficiary States of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh
 Kaveri River
 The Kaveri (Cauvery) is designated as the ‘Dakshin Ganga’ or ‘the Ganga
of the South’.
 The Cauvery River rises at an elevation of 1,341 m at Talakaveri on
 the Brahmagiri range near Cherangala village of Kodagu (Coorg) district
of Karnataka.
 The Cauvery Water dispute involves 3 states and one Union Territory
(Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Puducherry).
 It entailed the principle that the upper riparian state must obtain the
consent of the lower riparian state for any construction activity viz.
reservoir on the river Cauvery.
 Kaveri River
Hydro Projects on Kaveri River:
❖SHIVASAMUDRAM - Kaveri River (KARNATAKA) (It is the 2nd power project
of India. The 1st Hydropower project is situated in Sidrapong in
DARJEELING)
❖KRISHNA RAJ SAGAR - Kaveri River (KARNATAKA)
❖METTUR DAM - Kaveri River (Tamil Nadu)
West flowing rivers:

West flowing rivers don't make Deltas.

These Rivers have narrow mouths called
ESTUARIES.
These rivers are FAST.
Due to tides, actions of the moon &
Earth pull water to land, hence
freshwater (rivers) is drained to sea &
sea water (sea) is pulled to land.
 Narmada River
 It is located mainly in Madhya Pradesh.
 The Narmada River is also known as the Rewa River.
 The River originates from the Maikala range near Amarkantak.
 It is a West flowing river.
 The River flows through Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and
Maharashtra.
 The tributaries of the Narmada River are the Kolar River, Shakkar River,
Dudhi River, Tawa River, and Hiran River.
 Major Hydro Power Projects in this river are Maheshwar Dam, Sardar
Sarovar Dam, and Indira Gandhi Sagar Dam
 Tapi River
 The Tapti/Tapi River is located in Madhya Pradesh.
 It originates from the Multai Reserve forest.
 The river is flowing through the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,
and Gujarat.
 Kakrapar Dam, Ukai Dam, and Girna Dam are the major projects on this
river.
 The Suki, the Gomai, the Arunavati, the Vaghur, the Amravati, the Purna,
the Mona, and the Sipna are the major tributaries of the Tapti River.
Inland rivers:

Some rivers of India are

not able to reach the sea
and constitute inland
drainage.
 Luni River
 Luni is an endorheic river.
 It is also known as the Sagarmati.
 It originates from the Western slopes of the Aravalli ranges near Ajmer.
 Ghagghar River
 The Ghaggar is the most important river of inland drainage. It is a seasonal
stream that rises on the lower slopes of the Himalayas and forms a
boundary between Haryana and Punjab.
 Its main tributaries are the Tangri, the Markanda, the Saraswati, and the
Chaitanya.
 It gets lost in the dry sands of Rajasthan near Hanumangarh after traversing
a distance of 465 km.
Major Small Rivers of India
 Mahi River
 It originates from the Vindhyachal mountain
range near the Dhar district of Madhya
Pradesh.
 It flows through Gujarat and Rajasthan and joins
the Arabian Sea near the Gulf of Khambhat.
 Jakham, Chap, and Som are its main tributaries.
 This river divides the Tropic of Cancer twice.
 Mahi is one of the major west-flowing rivers of
India.
 The Bajaj Sagar project is situated on it.
 Tapti River
 Tapti is the second largest west-flowing river in peninsular
India.
 It is known as the 'twin' or 'dasi' of the Narmada.
 It originates in Madhya Pradesh at an altitude of 752 meters.
 The Tapti River flows in a Rift Valley.
 Betwa River
 Betwa rivers originate in Madhya Pradesh, they are tributaries of
Yamuna.
 This river meets Yamuna in the Hamirpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
 Rajghat, Parichha, and Matatila dams are built on the Betwa River.
 Son River
 The Son River is the largest southern tributary of the Ganges,
which originates near the source of the Narmada River, near
Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh.
 Barakar River
 It is a major tributary of the Damodar River.
 It originates in Jharkhand and flows across the northern part of
the Chota Nagpur plateau, before joining the Damodar River at
Asansol of West Bengal.
 Maithon Dam is on the river Barakar in Jharkhand
 Brahmani River
 Brahmani is an east-flowing river.
 It is a major seasonal river in the state of Odisha in eastern
India.
 It is also known as Dakshin ki Koel and originates near in Ranchi
district of Jharkhand.
 Swarnrekha River
 It originates from the Chota Nagpur Plateau.
 Kharkai is its main tributary.
 Its mouth is the Bay of Bengal.
 Hundru Falls is a waterfall located in the Ranchi district of Jharkhand,
formed on the course of the Subarnarekha River.
 India's first iron and steel plant was established on the banks of this river.
 Barak River
 The Barak River is also known as the Surma River.
 Its flow-through Northeast India and East Bangladesh,
 It originates in the hills of Manipur, where it is called Barak.
 Subansiri River
 The Subansiri River originates from the Himalayan region of Tibet.
 It flows south through Arunachal Pradesh in India to the Assam Valley
where it joins the Brahmaputra River in Lakhimpur district.
 It is also called the 'Swarna River' and is the largest tributary of the
Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh.
 Sie and Kamla are its tributaries.
 Lohit River
 Lohit River or Zuyu River is a river in
India and China.
 It is a tributary of the Brahmaputra
River.
 The river originates in the Tibet
Autonomous Region, where it is known
as the Zyu River.
 Further, it enters India in Arunachal
Pradesh and flows for 200 km before
entering the plains of Assam where it is
known as the Lohit River.
 Machhu River

 The Machu River originates from the

Madla Hills of Gujarat and merges
further into the Rann of Kutch.

 The Morbi Suspension Bridge, which

was in the news in November 2022,
was built on this river.
 Sabarmati River

It is one of the major rivers of western

India.
It originates from the Dhebar Lake in the
Aravalli hills in Rajasthan.
It covers a distance of 371 km before
entering the Arabian Sea through the Gulf
of Cambay.
Ahmedabad, the largest city of Gujarat, is
situated on the banks of the Sabarmati.
 Tungabhadra River
It is formed by the confluence of two rivers, the Tunga and the Bhadra, which originate
on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats.
In the epic Ramayana, the Tungabhadra River was known as Pampa.
It passes through the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and finally joins the Krishna
River in Telangana.
The ancient city of Hampi - the capital of the Vijayanagara dynasty during the 14th to
16th centuries CE; is situated on the banks of the Tungabhadra River.
Haridra, Vedavati, Tunga, Varada, and Kumdavati are its tributaries.
 Mahadayi River
 The river originates near Degaon village in Khanapur tehsil of Belagavi district.
 In Goa, it is also known as Mandvi.
 This river enters Goa via Karnataka and later falls into the Arabian Sea.
 The Dudhsagar Falls located in Goa are formed by the Mandovi River.
 There is a dispute between Goa, Karnataka, and Maharashtra over the sharing
of the Mahadayi river water.
 Bharathapuzha River
 It is the largest river in Kerala.
 It originates from the Annamalai hill and it is its confluence or mouth in the
Arabian Sea.
 Periyar and Pampa are the other two major rivers of Kerala.
 The famous Sabarimala temple of Kerala is situated on the banks of the Pampa
River.
 Vaigai River
 The Vaigai River flows in the east and falls into the Bay of Bengal.
 Its river basin is bounded by the Pak Jal-Damru-Madhya in the
east and the Cardamom and Palani hills in the west.
 Vaigai is not a tributary of the Kaveri River.
 Meenakshi Temple is a historic Hindu temple located on the
south bank of the Vaigai River in the city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu,
India.
 Madurai, situated on the banks of the Vaigai River, is called the
"Athens of the East" because of its resemblance to Athens.
Thank You