The major Himalayan rivers are the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. These rivers are long, and are joined by many large and important tributaries. A river alongwith its tributaries may be called a river system.
The Indus River System
The river Indus rises in Tibet, near Lake Mansarowar. Flowing west, it enters India in the Ladakh. It forms a picturesque gorge in this part. Several tributaries, the Zaskar, the Nubra, the Shyok and the Hunza, join it in the Kashmir region. The Indus flows through Baltistan and Gilgit and emerges from
the mountains at Attack. The Satluj, the Beas, the Ravi, the Chenab and the Jhelum join together to enter the Indus flows southwards eventually reaching the Arabian Sea, east of Karachi. The Indus plain has a very gentle slope. With a total length of 2900 km, the Indus is one of the longest rivers of the world. A little over a third of the Indus basin is located in India Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab and the rest is in Pakistan.
Do You Know ? . According to the regulations of the Indus Water Treaty (1960), India can use only 20 per cent of the total water carried by the Indus river system. This water carried by the Indus river system. This water is used for irrigation in Punjab, Haryana and the southern and the western parts of Rajasthan.
The Ganga River System
The headwaters of the Ganga, called the ‘Bhagirathi’ is fed by the Gangotri G6laciere and joined by the Alaknanda at Devaprayag in Uttarakhand. At Haridwar, the Ganga emerges form the mountains on to the plains.
The Ganga is joined by many tributaries form the Himalayas, a few of them being major rivers, such as the Yamuna, The river Yamuna rises from the Yamunotri Glacier in the Himalayas. It flows parallel to the Ganga and as a right bank tributary meets the Ganga at Allahabad. The Ghaghara, the Gandak and the Kosi rise in the Nepal Himalaya. They are the rivers, which flood parts of the northern plains every year, causing widespread damage to life and property, whereas, they enrich the soil for water agricultural use. The main tributaries, which come from the peninsular uplands, are the Chambal, the Betwa and the Son. These rise from semi-arid areas, have sorter courses and do not carry much water in them. Find out where and how they ultimately join the Ganga.
Do you Know? .The Namami Gange Programme is an Integrated Conservation Mission approved as a ‘flagship programme’ by the Union Government in June 2014 to accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of the national river, Ganga. You may explore about this project at hatt:// nmcg.nic.in/NamamiGanga.sspx#
Enlarged with the waters from its right and left bank tributaries, the Ganga flows eastwards till Farakka in West Bengal. This is the northernmost point of the Ganga delta. The river bifurcates here; the Bhagirathi-Hooghly (a distributary) flows southwards through the deltaic plains to the Bay of Bengal. The mainstream , flows southwards into Bangladesh and is joined by the Brahmaputra. Further downstream, it is known as the Meghna. This mighty river, with waters from the Ganga and the Brahmaputra, flows into the Bay of Bengal. The delta formed by these rivers is known as the Sundarban Delta.
Do You Know? .The Sundarban Delta derived its name from the Sundari tree, which grows well in marshland.
. It is the world’s largest and fastest growing delta. It is the also the home of Royal Bengal itger.
The length of the Ganga is over 2500 km. Look at Figure 3.4; can you identify the type of drainage pattern formed by the Ganga river system? Ambala is located on the water divide between the Indus and the Ganga river systems. The plains from Ambala to the Sunderban Stretch over nearly 1800 km, but the fall in its slope is hardly 300 metres. In other words, there is a fall of just one metre for every 6 km. Therefore, the river develops large meanders.
The Brahmaputra river System
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The Brahmaputra rises in Tibet east of Mansarowar lake very close to the sources of the Indus and the Satluj. It is slightly longer than the Indus, and most of its course lies outside India. It flows eastwards parallel to the Himalayas. On reaching the Namcha Barwa (7757 m), it takes a ‘U’ turn and enters India in Arunachal Pradesh through a gorge. Here, it is called the Dihang and it is joined by the Dibang, the Lohit, and many other tributaries to form the Brahmaputra in Assam.
Do You Know? .Brahmaputra is known as the Tsang Po in Tibet and Jamuna in Bangladesh. In Tibet, the river carries a smaller volume of water and less silt as it is a cold and a dry area. In India. It passes through a region of high rainfall. Here the river carries a large volume of water and considerable amount of silt. The Brahmaputra has a braided channel in its entire length in Assam and forms many riverine islands. Do you remember the name of the world’s largest riverine island formed by the Brahmaputra? Every year during the rainy season, the river overflows its banks, causing widespread devastation due to floods in Assam and Bangladesh. Unlike other north Indian rivers, the Brahmaputra is marked by huge deposits of silt on its bed causing the riverbed to rise. The river also shifts its channel frequently.
The Peninsular Rivers
The main water divide in Peninsular India is formed by the Western Ghats, which runs from north to south close to the western coast. Most of the major rivers of the Peninsula, such as the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri flow eastwards and drain into the Bay of Bengal. These rivers make deltas at their mouths. There are numerous small streams flowing west of the Western Gats. The Narmada and the Tapi are the only lo8ng rivers, which flow west and make estuaries. The drainage basins of the peninsular rivers are comparatively smaller in size. The Narmada Basin
The Narmada rises in the Amarkantak hills in the Amarkantak hills in Madhya Pradesh. It flows towards the west in a rift valley formed due to faulting. On its way to the sea, the Narmada creates many picturesque locations. The ‘Marble rocks’ near Jabalpur, where the Narmada flows through a deep gorge, and ,the ‘Dhuadhar falls, where the river plunges over steep rocks, are some of the notable ones.
Do You Know? . The Narmada river conservation mission has been undertaken by the government of Madhya Pradesh by a scheme named Namami Devi Narmade. You may visit their website. http://www.namamidevinarmade.mp.gov.in to learn more about it. Language: English
Language: English
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