Drainage part 2

 

Tip: - River courses are important and hard to learn at the same time. An effortless way to learn courses is to open a map representing the river course while you read the river course and absorb it. Note keywords related to the course. Always close your eyes and imagine the map before answering to the questions related to course of that particular river.  

Himalayan drainage system:-

Main features:-

ü These rivers are fed by regular precipitation and melting snow from mountains/glaciers, so they are perennial in nature.

ü These rivers have evolved long time back in geological history.

ü They give birth to physical features such as gorges, V shaped valleys, rapids, waterfalls in their course and ox bow lakes, flood plains, braided channels and deltas at their ends.

ü They shift their courses due to strong meandering tendency causing floods many a times.

The Himalayan river system mainly includes – The Brahmaputra, The Indus, and The Ganga. Acronym for this is BIG.

   The Brahmaputra

1)   The Brahmaputra is the one of the longest rivers in the world originating from Chemayungdung glacier of Kailash range near Lake Mansarovar.

2)   From here it flows eastwards longitudinally for about 1200 km in a dry and flat area of southern Tibet where it is known as Tsangpo which means the purifier.

3)   The Rango Tsangpo is the major right bank tributary of this river in Tibet. It carves out a deep gorge in the central Himalayas near Namcha Barwa.

4)   It enters India west of Sadiya town in Arunachal Pradesh. Flowing southwest, it receives main left bank tributaries- Dibang, Sikang and Lohit; hereafter it is known as Brahmaputra.

5)   It enters Bangladesh near Dhubri and flows southward. In Bangladesh the Tista joins it from where the river is known as the Jamuna.  It finally merges with river Padma which falls into Bay of Bengal.

6)   Right bank tributaries- Subansari, Kameng, Manas, and Sankosh.

7)   Left bank tributaries- Burhi Dihing and Dhansari.

Speciality: - Brahmaputra is famous for bringing floods, shifting channels, and bank erosion. This is due the fact that most of the tributaries are large and bring large quantity of sediments owing heavy rainfall in its catchment area.

The Indus

1)   Indus, also known as Sindhu is the largest river basin in the world covering an area of 11, 65,000 sq. km and a total length of 2800 km.

2)   It is the westernmost of the Himalayan Rivers in India. It originates from a glacier near Bokhar Chu in Tibetan region at an altitude of 1114 km in the Kailash mountain range where it is called Singi Khamban i.e. lion’s mouth.

3)   After flowing in the northwest direction between Zaskar and Ladakh ranges, it enters Pakistan in the Dardistan region.

4)    It finally emerges out of hills near Attock where it receives Kabul River on right bank. Through its course Indus receives many tributaries such as the Shyok, the Gilgit, the Zaskar, the Nubra, the Hunza, the Shigar, the Gasting and the Daras. Flowing south wards it receives Panjnad- the five rivers of Punjab which are its largest and important most tributaries.

5)   It finally discharges into Arabian Sea east of Karachi.

Speciality: - Indus forms a spectacular gorge near Gilgit in Jammu and Kashmir.

It flows in India only through Jammu and Kashmir.

The Panjnad:-

The Jhelum rises from a spring at Verinag at the foot of the Pir Panjal in the valley of Kashmir. It flows through Srinagar and Lake Wular before entering Pakistan.

 

The Chenab is the largest tributary of Indus formed of two rivers- Chandra and Bhaga which join in Tandi in Himachal Pradesh. Hence it is also known as Chandrabhaga.

 

The Ravi rises west of Rohtang pass in Kullu hills of Himachal Pradesh and flows through Chamba valley of the state. It enters Pakistan near Sarai Sidhu, before that it flows through Dhauladhar ranges.

 

The Beas originates from Beas Kund near Rohtang Pass. It flows through Kullu valley and form gorges. In enters Punjab near Harike.

 

The Satluj originates in Rakshash Tal near Mansarovar in Tibet where it is known as Langchen Khambab. It flows almost parallel to Indus for 400 km before entering India. It passes through Shipki La on the Himalayas and enters Punjab. It is an important river as it feeds the canal system of Bhakra Nangal project.    

  

The Ganga:-

1)   Ganga is the most important river of India and of course the most important Himalayan River due to its cultural significance as well as its basin.

2)   It rises in Gangotri glacier near Gaumukh in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. Here it is known as Bhagirathi. It cuts through central and lesser Himalayas in narrow gorges.

3)    At Devprayag the Bhagirathi meets Alaknanda, hereafter it is known as Ganga. The Alaknanda rises from Satopanth glacier above Badrinath.  

4)   The Ganga enters the plains at Haridwar. From here it flows to south first, then to south-east and east before splitting into two distributaries namely Bhagirathi and Padma.

5)   Ganga flows through the states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and West Bengal.

6)   It drains area of 8.6 lakh sq. Km area in India alone. It the largest river system in India having number of tributaries operating both in Himalayas and Peninsula.

7)   The river finally discharges itself Bay of Bengal near the Sagar Island.

8)   The Yamuna is the longest and the western most tributary of Ganga, has its source in Yamunotri glacier in Banderpunch range. It joins Ganga at Prayagraj.

Important tributaries:-

The Chambal rises in Malwa Plateau of Madhya Pradesh and flows northwards through gorge upwards of Kota in Rajasthan. Gandhi Sagar dam has been built on the river Chambal. The Chambal is famous for its badland topography called the Chambal ravines.

 

The Gandak comprises of two rivers namely Kaligandak and Trishulganga. It rises in the Nepal Himalayas. It joins Ganga near Sonpur in Patna.

 

The Ghaghara originates in the glaciers of Mapchachungo. It comes out of mountains cutting a deep gorge at Shishapani. It meets Ganga at Chhapra.   

 

The Kosi rises from Mount Everest in Tibet where its main stream Arun rises.

 

The Damodar also known as ‘sorrow of Bengal’ flows through a rift valley in chotanagpur plateau. It is known as sorrow of Bengal because it brings floods in Bengal.

 

The Son is the largest right bank tributary of Ganga originating in Amarkantak plateau.