DRAINAGE SYSTEMS OF INDIA

• The flow of water through well-defined channels is called as drainage.
• An integrated network of such channels is called the drainage system or river system.
• An area drained by a river and its tributaries, i.e., by a single river system is called a drainage basin. 
• Watershed is defined as any surface area from which runoff resulting from rainfall is collected and drained through a common point. The catchment area of small rivers is also often referred to as watershed.
• The catchment area of large rivers is called River Basin. 

🔰 Types of River Drainage System of India

1. HIMALAYAN RIVER
2. PENINSULAR RIVER SYSTEMS
3. WEST FLOWING PENINSULAR RIVERS

 

 HIMALAYAN RIVERS

• Existed even before the formation of Himalayas.
• Flowing into the Tethys Sea.
• They continued to flow throughout the building phase of the Himalayas.
• Himalayan drainage consists of the following river systems -

1. Indus River System
2. Ganga River System
3. Brahmaputra River System

👉 INDUS RIVER SYSTEM

• Indus river system consists of the following

rivers- 

1.Indus River

2.Jhelum River

3.Chenab River

4.Ravi River

5.Beas River

6.Sutlej River

• The western most river system in the subcontinent.
• Also called as Sindhuin Sanskrit.
• It originates in Tibet and enters into India through Chang La pass.
• India got her name from Indus.
• Origin: Bokhar Chu Glacier near Mansarovar Lake, Kailash Range
• Dhar River joins it near Indo-China border.
• Total drainage area is about 1,165,000 square km
• The waters of the Indus River System are shared between India and Pakistan as per Indus Water Treaty, 1960.
• Just above Mithankot, the Indus receives five eastern tributaries—the Jhelum, the Chenab, the Ravi, the Beas and the Sutlej.

👉 JHELUM RIVER 

• Origin: Verinag Spring, Pirpanjal Range, Anntnagar District Of J&K.
• It flows northwards into Wular lake.
• Forms steep-sided narrow gorge through Pir Panjal below Baramulla.
• At Muzaffarabad, the river takes a sharp hairpin bend southward.
• After that, it forms the India-Pakistan boundary for 170 km and emerges at the Potwar plateau near Mirpur.
• Uri Hydro Electric Project is located on it.

👉 CHENAB RIVER 

• Chenab originates from near the Bara Lacha pass in the Lahul-Spitiof the Zaskar range.
• Two small streams on opposite sides of the pass, namely Chandra and Bhaga, form its headwaters at an altitude of 4,900 m.
• The united stream chandrabhaga flows in the north-west direction through the pangi valley, parallel to the Pir Panjal.
• It enters the plain area near Akhnur in J&K.
• It joins the Sutlej after receiving the waters of Jhelum and Ravi rivers.
• The important hydel projects installed on the Chenab River are Salal, Dulhasti and the  recent Baglihar project in Doda district.

👉 RAVI RIVER 

• The Ravi has its source in Kullu hills near the Rohtang pass in Himachal Pradesh.
• It drainsthe area between the Pir Panjal and the Dhauladhar Ranges.
• After crossing Chamba, it takes a south westerly turn and cuts a deep gorge in the Dhaula Dhar Range.
• It enters Punjab plains near Madhopur and later enters Pakistan below Amritsar.
• It debouches into the Chenab a little above Rangpur in Pakistani Punjab

👉 BEAS RIVER 

• The Beas originates near the Rohtang pass, on the southern end of the Pir Panjal range,
• Close to the source of the Ravi.
• It crosses the Dhauladhar range, and it takes a south-westerly direction and meets the
• Sutlej River at Harike in Punjab.
• It is a comparatively small but lies entirely within the Indian Territory.

👉 SUTLEJ RIVER 

• The Sutlej rises from the ManasarovarRakas lakes in western Tibet.
• Like the Indus, it takes a north-westerly course up to the Shipki la on the TibetHimachal Pradesh boundary.
• Before entering the Punjab plain, it cuts a gorge in Naina Devi dhar, where the famous
• Bhakra dam has been constructed. The Beas joins it at Harike.
• From Ferozepur to Fazilka, it forms the boundary between India and Pakistan for nearly 120 km.
• Receives the collective drainage of the Ravi, Chenab and Jhelum rivers.
• It joins the Indus a few kilometres above Mithankot.
• In Punjab, a network of canals has been built across the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers which have irrigated the arid lands of Punjab and Haryana.

👉 GANGA RIVER SYSTEM

• • The Ganga originates as Bhagirathi from the Gangotri glacier in Uttarkashi district of UK.
• • Vishnuprayag: Lies on the holy confluence of Alaknanda and Dhauliganga rivers.
• • Nandprayag: Nandprayag is a small town located at the sacred confluence of the Alaknanda
• and Nandakini river.
• • Karanprayag; Karnprayag lies on the confluence of river Alaknanda and the Pindari River.
• • Rudraprayag: Rudraprayag is nestled on the holy confluence of Alaknanda and Mandakini
• rivers.
• • Devaprayag: Devprayag is the last Prayag or the holy confluence of the Alaknanda River, from
• here that the confluence of Alaknanda and Bhagirathi River is known as Ganga.
• It is joined by the Yamuna at Prayagraj (Allahabad).
• Near Rajmahal hills it turns to the south-east.
• The Ganges splits into the Padma and the Hooghly close to Giria, Murshidabad.
• There's a similarly man-made bifurcation of the river upstream at Farakka.
• The Padma flows eastward into
• Bangladesh, while the Hooghly flows south thru West Bengal.
• The Ganga joins the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh and continues its run under the name Padma or Ganga. It finally joins the Meghna river which outfalls into the Bay of Bengal.
• The total length is 2,525 km. 

TRIBUTARIES OF GANGA

• Yamuna
• Son
• Damodar
• Ramganga
• Gomati
• Ghaghra
• Kali River
• Gandak River
• Burhi Gandak
• Kosi River 

👉 YAMUNA RIVER SYSTEM 

• Largest right-bank tributary of Ganga.
• It originates from the Yamunotri glacier on the Bandarpunch peak in Gharwal in Uttarakhand at an elevation of 6330 m.
• It cuts across the Nag Tibba, the Mussoorie and the Shiwalik ranges.
• It enters plains near Tajewala.
• Its main affluent is Tons which also rises from the Bandar punch glacier.
• It joins the Yamuna below Kalsi.
• Water carried by the tons is twice the water carried by the Yamuna.
• Joins Ganga near Triveni sangam, Prayagraj (Allahabad).
• Tributaries of Yamuna are: Chambal River, Sind, Betwa, Ken.

👉 SON RIVER 

• Rises in the Amarkantak plateau.
• Its source is close to the origin of the Narmada.
• Passes along the Kaimur range.
• It joins the Ganga near Danapur in Patna district of Bihar.
• The important tributaries of the son are the Johilla, the Gopat, the Rihand, the Kanhar and the North Koel.
• Almost all the tributaries join it on its right bank.

👉 DAMODAR RIVER 

• Rises in the hills of the Chotanagpur plateau and flows through a rift valley.
• Rich in mineral resources, the valley is home to large-scale mining and industrial activity.
• It has a number of tributaries and subtributaries, such as Barakar, Konar, Bokaro, Haharo, etc.
• River Barakar is a vital tributary of the Damodar River. The first dam was built across the Barakar River.
• The valley is called “the Ruhr of India”.
• It used to cause devastating floods as a result of which it earned the name ‘Sorrow of Bengal’. Now the river is tamed by constructing numerous dams.
• It joins the Hugli River 48 km below Kolkata.

👉 RAMGANGA RIVER 

• Rises in the Garhwal district of Uttarakhand at an altitutde of 3110 m and enter the Ganga plain near Kalagarh.
• It joins the Ganga at Kannuj after traversing a distance of 596 km.
• The Khoh, the Gangan, the Aril, the Kosi, and the Deoha (Gorra) are important tributaries.
• Basin covers area of 32493 sq. km.

👉 GOMATI RIVER 

• Originates: Gomat Taal, Madhav Tanda, Pilibhit district, UP.
• Major tributary Sai meets at Jaunpur.
• Meet Ganga- 40km away from Varansi.
• Important Cities located- Lucknow, Sultanpur, Jaunpur

👉 GHAGHRA RIVER 

• Its source is near Gurla Mandhata Peak, south of Manasarovar in Tibet.
• It is known as the Karnaili in western Nepal.
• Its important tributaries are the Sarda, the Sarayu (also known as sarju) (Ayodhya is located on its bank) and the Rapti.
• The river bed is sandy and sudden bends start occurring in the stream.
• The river has a high flood frequency and has shifted its course several times. The Ghaghra joins Ganga at Chapra in Bihar.
• After reaching plain area, it streams get divided into many branches of which, Koriyan and Garwa are important. These two tributaries meet again in Bahraich of UP.

👉 KALI RIVER 

• Rises in the high glaciers of transHimalaya.
• It forms the boundary between Nepal and Kumaon.
• It is known as the Sarda after it reaches the plains.
• It joins the Ghaghra.

👉 GANDAK RIVER 

• Originates near the Tibet-Nepal border at a height of 7,620 m
• It receives a large number of tributaries in Nepal Himalaya.
• Its important tributaries are the Kali Gandak, the Mayangadi, the Bari and the Trishuli.
• It debouches into the plains at Triveni.
• It flows into Ganga at Hajipur in Bihar. Burhi Gandak
• Originates from the western slopes of Sumesar hills near the India-Nepal border.
• It joins the Ganga near Monghyr town.

👉 KOSI RIVER 

• The Kosi River consists of seven streams and is popularly known as Saptkaushiki.
• These streams flow through eastern Nepal which is known as the Saptkaushik region.
• Consequently, a huge volume of water flows with tremendous speed.
• Seven streams mingle with each other to form three streams named the Tamur, Arun and Sun kosi.
• They unite at triveni north of the Mahabharata range to form the Kosi.
• They join the Ganga near Kursela.
• Large scale deposition of eroded material takes place in the plain region.
• The river channel is braided, and it shifts its course frequently.
• This has resulted in frequent devastating floods and has converted large tracts of cultivable land into wasteland in Bihar. Thus, the river is often termed as the ‘sorrow of Bihar’.
• Embankments for flood control have been constructed as a joint venture of India and Nepal. 

👉 BRAHMAPUTRA RIVER SYSTEM

• The Brahmaputra is 2,900 km in length.
• Source: Chemayungdung glacier Kailas range near Mansarovar Lake in Tibet.
• Its source is very close to the sources of Indus and Sutlej.
• Mariam la separates the source of the Brahmaputra from the Manasarovar Lake.
• The Brahmaputra flows eastwards in southern Tibet for about 1,800 km.
• The river is sluggish and has a wide navigable channel for about 640 km.
• The first major tributary is the raga tsangpo meeting the tsangpo near lhatse dzong.
• It’s course abruptly takes a southward turn around Namcha Barwa.
• Here it cuts across the eastern Himalaya through the dihang.
• Emerges from the mountains near Sadiya in the Assam valley.
• Here it first flows under the name of Siang and then as the Dihang.
• Joined by two important tributaries viz, the Dibang from the north and Lohit from the south.
• From Sadiya onwards, river is known as the Brahmaputra.
• The main streams merging with the
• Brahmaputra from the north are, Subansiri, Kameng, Dhansiri, Raidak, Tista etc.
• The Tista was a tributary of the ganga before the floods of 1787 after which it diverted its course eastwards to join the Brahmaputra.
• Majuli world's largest river island is on this river.
• Enters Bangladesh near Dhubri. Named as Jamuna River and joins the Ganga at Goalundo.
• The united stream of the Jamuna and the Ganga name is Padma.
• Padma is joined on the left bank by the Meghna.
• Combined river is known as the meghna.

• Left bank tributaries: Dibang, Lohit, Dhansiri, Kolong.
• Right bank tributaries: Kameng, Manas, Raidak, Jaldhaka, Teesta, Subansiri.

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