II. RIVERS A river is a large, natural stream of flowing water. Rivers are found on every continent and on nearly every kind of land. The river system of can be divided into four: The Himalayan Rivers Peninsular rivers Coastal rivers Rivers of the inland drainage basin. Rivers of India carry 16, 83000 million cubic meters of water per year. All rivers are east-flowing except the Narmada and the Tapti which are west-flowing. The Himalayan Rivers are perennial. During the monsoon, the Himalayas receive very heavy rainfall and the rivers often cause floods. During summer the rivers are snow fed. The peninsular rivers are generally rain-fed. The coastal streams, especially off the west coast, are short in length and have limited catchment areas. The streams of the inland drainage basin of Western Rajasthan are few and far between. Most of them are in ephemeral character having no outlet to the sea. The Ganga basin carries water to one quarter of the total area of the country. The Ganga is joined by a number of Himalayan Rivers, including the Yamuna, Ghaghara, Gomati, Gandak and Kosi. The Godavari in the southern peninsula has the second largest river basin in the country covering 10% of the area of India. The Krishna and the basins are the second and third largest in the peninsula respectively. The basins of the Narmada and Cauvery are of about the same size. Two other river systems, which are small but agriculturally important, are those of the Tapti in the north and the Pennar in the south. These west-coast rivers are of great importance as they contain as much as 11 per cent of the country‘s water resources while watering about 10 per cent of the land area. Main Rivers of India Being an agricultural country, the Contributing Rivers in the national economy are significant. These rivers not only contribute to the national economy, but they play a major role in social, economic, political and cultural aspect. Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra are the example of this. Drainage systems falling into the The total area drained by these systems is very small as compared with the area of drainage system falling into the Bay of Bengal. The Rivers draining Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab States flow generally westwards. The Indus, Jhelum and Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir; Ravi, Beas and Sutlej in Himachal Pradesh and the Punjab, the important river systems in Trans Himalayas or Himalayas origin. The Ganga Ganga is the most holy river, according to Hindus. It starts from Gangotri in the Himalayas and pours into the Bay of Bengal by travelling around 2525 km. It is ranked the third largest river in the world. The length of the Ganga is 2,510 km or 1,560 miles. The river has its origin in the Western Himalayan Ranges in the state of Uttarakhand. It passes through the state of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. The major tributaries of the Ganga are as follows: Left attributes – Karnali, Mahakali, Gandak, Koshi, Ghaghara and Damodar. Right attributes – Yamuna, Son, Mahananda, and Chambal. The Jhelum A spring at Verinarg situated in the southeastern part of the valley of Kashmir. It flows northward from its source to Wular lake and further down south- westwards till it enters a gorge lies between Baramulla and Muzaffarbad. Kishanganga its right bank tributary joins it at Muzaffarabad. Its length is 400 km. The Chenab The Chenab of Jammu & Kashmir is known as Chandrabhanga in Himachal Pradesh. The Chandrabhanga flows north-westwards and runs parallel to the Pir Panjal range for some distance. Its length in India is 1180 km. The Ravi The source of this river lies near the Rohtang pass. From its origin it flows to the northwest and drains the area lying between the southeastern part of Pir Panjal range and the Daula-Dhar Range. It joins the Chenab in Pakistan. Its length is 720km. The Beas Emerges from a place known as Beaskund, near the Rohtang pass. Its early stage runs from north to south pass Manali and Kulu, where its valley is popularly known as Kulu Valley. It turns to the southwest and joins the Sutlej near Harike after flowing a distance of 615 km. The Sutlej Originates from Rakas Lake, situated at an altitude of 4555 meters in Tibet. The lake is connected to Manasarovar Lake by a stream. Before entering Punjab plain it cuts a gorge in the Naina Devi Dhar. A dam has been constructed across the gorge near the village Bhakhra Dam. The Beas, its right bank tributary joins it at Harike. A short distance below Harike the Sutlej runs almost along the Indo-Pak boundary and enters Pakistan near Sulemanki. Its length in India is 1050 km. The Luni Source lies near Ajmer in the Aravalli Range. It flows southward and falls into Rann of Kutch. The Bandi, the Sukri, and tge Jawai are its important left bank tributaries. The Mahi Having its source in Udaipur district in the southern Aravalli Range which flows towards the south-west and pours its water into the Gulf of Cambay through an estuary. The Yamuna The Yamuna River is one of the most beautiful rivers of India. It is the biggest tributary of the Ganges in Northern India. Yamuna River‘s water contributes nearly 70% of Delhi‘s water supply. The Taj Mahal is situated on the banks of Yamuna River. The Brahmaputra It originates at Chemayungdung glacier in the Kailash range near Manasarovar Lake. It initially flows eastwards longitudinally as Tsangpo. Its total length is around 2900 km. It empties into the Bay of Bengal. Guwahati, the most important city of Assam, is situated on the bank of River Brahmaputra. The Indus River It is a famous river in Asia. It originates from the Tibetan Plateau. It flows through the Ladakh, then enters into Pakistan and finally merges into the Arabian Sea after travelling a distance of 3180 km. The Mahanadi River Mahanadi is a major river in the state of Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Its total length is 858 km. It originates from Sihawa in Raipur, Chhattisgarh through Orissa into Bay of Bengal. The Godavari It is the longest river in Southern India and the second largest in India after Ganga. Its total length is 2,525 km. It originates from Nasik, . It drains into the Bay of Bengal. The Krishna It is the second largest east flowing peninsular river. It originates from Mahabaleswar in Maharashtra and flows through the state of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh. It finally merges into the Bay of Bengal by travelling a distance of 1400 km. The Cauvery It is one of the largest rivers in India. It originates from Talakaveri in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. It flows through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It finally merges into the Bay of Bengal by travelling a distance of 765 km. The Chambal It rises near, in the Vindhyan range and flows towards the north generally in a gorge up to Kota. After reaching Pinhat it turns to the east and runs nearly parallel to the Yamuna. Chambal joins the Yamuna near Etawah. It is 1060 km long. Banas is an important left bank tributary of Chambal. Sind, Betwa and Ken are its other tributaries. The Banas It rises in the southern part of Aravalli Range and flows in the northeast direction. It joins the Chambal at a point about 30 km to the east of Sawai Madhopur. The Ram Ganga It rises in the Great Himalayas and enters the Ganga plain near Kalagarh. River Kho joins it from the right bank. After flowing in Moradabad, Rampur, Bareilly, Bandun and Shahjahanpur, part of Farrukhabad and Hardoi districts, it merges with Ganga near Kannauj. Its length is 600 km. The Sarda It rises from Milap glacier, from the Great Himalayas. It is known by various names. The Sarda runs along the Indo-Nepal boundary and levels the Himalayas at Baramed. The Ghaghera Originates from Bharchachuga glacier Rakchash-Tal in Nepal. After crossing the Siwalik ranges, Chok, a tributary of Sarda joins it near Baharampur. The river is large and is generally chocked with Silt. It often shifts its course. Its length is 1180 km. The Rapti It originates from Rukunkot Nepal, flows south-west then south. Passing through Bahraich, Gonda, Basti and Gorakhpur joins Ghaghara near Bahraj. The Narmada It is the fifth longest in the Indian sub-continent. It originates from Narmada Kund, Amarkantak in and merges into the Arabian Sea near after travelling a distance of 1312 km. The Tapti It is one of the major rivers in Central India. Its total length is around 724 km which flows through the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. It finally merges into the Gulf of Cambay of Arabian Sea near Gujarat. The Gandak It is known as Saligrami in Nepal and Narain in plain, rises near Sino-Nepal boundary and drains the central part of Nepal and separates the boundary of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. After entering Champaran district it turns to the southeast and joins the left bank of Ganga at Sonpur. The Gomati It originates from a height of 200 meters in Pilibhit district, flows from northwest to southwest in between Ganga and Doab. The river Gomati forms the boundary of Sitapur and Hardoi districts, and enters Lucknow districts. After flowing, Barabanki, Sultanpur and Jaunpur join Ganga at Gazipur. The Kosi A left bank tributary of Ganga, it is a collective name of seven rivers, Milamchi, Bhotia, Kosi, Tamba Kosi, Likhu, Dudkh Kosi, Arun and Tambur. The Kosi enters the Tarai of Nepal after cutting a gorge in the Mahabharat range at Chatra. Its catchment area in Nepal is highly rugged and mountainous. The Kosi has shifted its course westward in North Bihar and is now 110 km away from the course it had 200 years ago. Its total length is 730 km. The Kosi joins Ganga at Karagola. The Betwa It originates near Kumra Gaon, from Vindhyan ranges, flowing northward of Vidisha and Guna districts of Madhya Pradesh enters Jhansi district of Uttar Pradesh. After flowing near the northeastern boundary of Tikamgarh, it joins Yamuna near Hamirpur. Its total length is 890 km. The Shipra It originates from Kakri-Bardi range in , after flowing through Devas and Ujjain, it merges with Chambal. The Tawa It originates from Mahadeo hill of Panchmarhi and joins Narmada. The Tawa River is a tributary of the of Central India. Pennar The Penna is also known as Pennar, it is a river in southern India. It originates in Kolar district, its chief tributaries are Chittravathi and Papaghni. It flows through a gorge of Cudappah near Chandikota and enters the sea near the town of Nellore.