INDIAN GEOGRAPHY

UNIT 2 INTRODUCTION GREAT PLAINS OF

By SIDDHANT AGNIHOTRI B.Sc (Silver Medalist) M.Sc (Applied Physics) WEBSITE :STUDYGLOWS.COM STUDYGLOWS PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

• The great mountain of North • Northern Plain • Peninsular Plateau • Coastal Plains • Thar Desert • Islands INDO GANGETIC PLAIN

• The Indo-Gangetic Plain, also known as the Indus-Ganga Plain and the North Indian River Plain, is a 630-million-acre (2.5-million km2) fertile plain encompassing Northern regions of the Indian subcontinent, including most of northern and eastern India, the eastern parts of Pakistan, virtually all of Bangladesh and southern plains of Nepal.

• The region is named after the Indus and the rivers and encompasses a number of large urban areas. The plain is bound on the north by the , which feed its numerous rivers and are the source of the fertile alluvium deposited across the region by the two river systems. PLAINS Roughly, the Indo-Gangetic Plain stretches across:

• Jammu Plains in the North; • Punjab Plains in Eastern Pakistan and Northwestern India; • Sindh Plains in Southern Pakistan; • Indus Delta in Southern Pakistan and Western India; • Ganga- ; • (Katehr) Plains; • Plains,the Plains; the Bihar Plains; the North Bengal plains; the Ganges Delta in India and Bangladesh; and • Brahmaputra Valley in the East. EXTENT • The great plains are sometimes classified into four divisions:

1. belt

2. The

3. The Bangar belt

4. The Khadar belt STUDYGLOWS

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INDIAN GEOGRAPHY

UNIT 2 CHAPTER 1 REGIONS OF NORTHERN PLAINS

By SIDDHANT AGNIHOTRI B.Sc (Silver Medalist) M.Sc (Applied Physics) WEBSITE :STUDYGLOWS.COM STUDYGLOWS PLAINS

• AND PUNJAB PLAINS

• INDO - GANGETIC PLAIN

• BRAHMAPUTRA PLAINS PUNJAB PLAINS • The Punjab Plain is a large alluvial plain in Eastern Pakistan and Northwestern India.

• The plain includes the Pakistani province of Punjab and the Indian states of Punjab and Haryana and is around 38,300 square miles (99,000 km2) in area.

• The plain is the western part of the North Indian River Plain in Pakistan and Western India formed by the Indus River and its tributaries - Jhelum, the Chenab, the Ravi, the Beas and the . The larger part of Punjab plain lies in Pakistan. The land formed of alluvium in between two rivers known as Doab are found here. DOAB

• BIST (BEAS AND SATLUJ)

• BARI(BEAS AND RAVI)

• RACHNA(RAVI AND CHENAB)

• CHAJ(CHANAB AND JHELUM)

• SINDHSAGAR(INDUS AND JHELUM CHENAB) REGIONS • Bhabar Region: Bhabhar Region is 8 to 16 km wide, region lies along the foothills of Himalayas between Indus and Teesta rivers. It contains pebbles & stones which are extremely pervious.

• Terai Region: 15 to 30 km wide belt found south of the Bhabar region is called as Terai. It is a marshy tract and zone of excessive dampness with the thick grown of forests and high biological diversity. E.g: Sitapur, Rampur, Lakhimpur, Philibhit, Bareilly region of . REGIONS

• Bangar Region: It is is the higher part of the plains, where the floodwater cannot reach. Bangar region is made up of old alluvium and it contains pebbles and coarser sediments. These plains are less fertile.

• Khadar Region: Khadar Region is made up of new alluvium. In this region, floods bring new alluvium every year. Khadar region is mainly found along the river banks and contains fine particles or clays so Khadar region is fertile region.

INDIAN GEOGRAPHY

UNIT 2 CHAPTER 1 TRIBUTARIES OF INDUS RIVER

By SIDDHANT AGNIHOTRI B.Sc (Silver Medalist) M.Sc (Applied Physics) WEBSITE :STUDYGLOWS.COM INDUS RIVER INDO GANGETIC PLAIN

Glaciers of Kailas Range 2880 km total. Indus (Close to 710 km in India Manasarovar Lake)

Jhelum Verinag 720 km Bara Lacha Chenab 1180 km Pass Near Rohtang Ravi 725 km Pass Near Rohtang Beas 460 km Pass

1450 km total Manasarovar-R Satluj 1050 km in akas Lakes India JHELUM RIVER

• The Jhelum has its source in a spring at Verinag in the south-eastern part of the .

• It flows northwards into Wular Lake .At Baramulla the river enters a gorge in the hills.

• At Muzaffarabad, the river takes a sharp bend and it forms the India-Pakistan boundary for 170 km and emerges at the Potwar Plateau near Mirpur.It joins the Chenab at Trimmu.

• The Chenab originates from near the Bara Lacha Pass in the Lahul-Spiti part of 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.

• It enters the plain area near Akhnur in Jammu and Kashmir.From here it through the plains of Pakistani Punjab to reach Panchnad where it joins the Satluj after receiving the waters of Jhelum and Ravi rivers. RAVI RIVER

• The Ravi has its source in Kullu hills near the Rohtang Pass in .

• It enters Punjab Plains near Madhopur and later enters Pakistan below Amritsar. BEAS RIVER

• Beas originates near the Rohtang Pass, close to the source of the Ravi.

• It crosses the Dhaola Dhar range and it takes a south-westerly direction and meets the Satluj river at Harike in Punja.It is a comparatively small river which is only 460 km long but lies entirely within the Indian territory. SATLUJ RIVER

• The Satluj rises from the Manasarovar-Rakas Lakes in western at a height of 4,570 m within 80 km of the source of the Indus.

• Before entering the Punjab plain, it cuts a gorge in Naina Devi Dhar, where the famous Bhakra dam has been constructed.

• After entering the plain at Rupnagar (Ropar), it turns westwards and is joined by the Beas at Harike.From near Ferozepur to Fazilka it forms the boundary between India and Pakistan for nearly 120 km.

• It joins the Indus a few kilometres above Mithankot.Out of its total length of 1,450 km, it flows for 1,050 km in Indian territory.

INDIAN GEOGRAPHY

UNIT 2 CHAPTER 2 HOLY GANGA

By SIDDHANT AGNIHOTRI B.Sc (Silver Medalist) M.Sc (Applied Physics) WEBSITE :STUDYGLOWS.COM INDUS RIVER GANGA RIVER

• The main stream of Ganga begins at the of the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers in the town of in the Garhwal division of the Indian state of .

• The Bhagirathi rises at the foot of Glacier, at , Although many small streams comprise the headwaters of Ganga, the six longest and their five are considered sacred.

• The six headstreams are the Alaknanda, Dhauliganga, Nandakini, Pindar, Mandakini, and Bhagirathi rivers. The five confluences, known as the , are all along the Alaknanda. GANGA RIVER

• They are, in downstream order, Vishnuprayag, where the Dhauliganga joins the Alaknanda; Nandprayag, where the Nandakini joins; Karnaprayag, where the Pindar joins, , where the Mandakini joins; and finally, Devprayag, where the Bhagirathi joins the Alaknanda to form Ganga.

• After flowing 250 km (155.343 mi) through its narrow Himalayan valley, Ganga emerges from the mountains at , then debouches onto the Gangetic Plain at the pilgrimage town of . GANGA RIVER

• Ganga joins the river Yamuna at the at Prayagraj, a holy confluence in Hinduism. At their confluence the Yamuna is larger than the Ganga, contributing about 2,950 m3/s (104,000 cu ft/s),or about 58.5% of the combined flow.

• Now flowing east, the river meets the (also called Tons).After the Tamsa the Gomti River joins, flowing south from the Himalayas. Then the River (Karnali River), also flowing south from the Himalayas of Nepal, joins. After the Ghaghara (Karnali) confluence the Ganga is joined from the south by the .

• The , then the Kosi River, join from the north flowing from Nepal.Along the way between Allahabadand Malda, West Bengal, the Ganga passes the towns of Chunar, Mirzapur, , Ghazipur, Patna, Hajipur, Chapra, Bhagalpur, Ballia, Buxar, Simaria, Sultanganj, and Saidpur. • GANGA RIVER

• Just before the border with Bangladesh the Farakka Barrage controls the flow of Ganga, diverting some of the water into a feeder canal linked to the Hooghly for the purpose of keeping it relatively silt-free.

• The Hooghly River is formed by the confluence of the . The Hooghly River empties into the Bay of Bengal near Sagar Island.Between Malda and the Bay of Bengal, the Hooghly river passes the towns and cities of Murshidabad, Nabadwip, Kolkata and Howrah. GANGA RIVER

• After entering Bangladesh, the main branch of Ganga is known as the Padma. The Padma is joined by the Jamuna River( largest distributary of the Brahmaputra).

• Further downtream, the Padma joins the Meghna River, the second largest distributary of the Brahmaputra, and takes on the Meghna's name as it enters the Meghna Estuary, which empties into the Bay of Bengal.

• The Ganga Delta, formed mainly by the large, sediment-laden flows of the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers, is the world's largest delta, at about 59,000 km2 (23,000 sq mi).It stretches 322 km (200 mi) along the Bay of Bengal known as sundarbans.

INDIAN GEOGRAPHY

UNIT 2 CHAPTER 3 TRIBUTARIES OF GANGA

By SIDDHANT AGNIHOTRI B.Sc (Silver Medalist) M.Sc (Applied Physics) WEBSITE :STUDYGLOWS.COM INDUS RIVER RIVER SOURCE Bhagirathi (Ganga) GANGAGangotri RIVER glacier Yamnotri glacier on the Yamuna Bandarpunch Peak Chambal Janapao Hills in the Banas Aravali Range Betwa Bhopal district Ken Barner Range Son Amarkantak Plateau Damodar (‘Sorrow of Bengal’) Chotanagpur plateau River of Uttarakhand Gurla Mandhata peak, south of Ghaghra River Manasarovar in Tibet (river of the

trans-Himalayan origin) The Kali River (border between Nepal Glaciers of trans-Himalayas and Uttarakhand) Gandak River Tibet-Nepal border Sumesar hills near the India-Nepal Burhi Gandak border Tumar, Arun and Sun Kosi unite at Kosi (‘Sorrow of Bihar’) Triveni north of the Range to form the Kosi. GANGA RIVER SYSTEM

RIGHT TRIBUTARIES YAMUNA RIVER

• Largest and the most important tributary.It originates from the Yamnotri glacier on the Bandarpunch Peak in the Garhwal region in Uttarakhand at an elevation of about 6,000 meters. Most of the Peninsular rivers flow into the Yamuna between Agra and and they are Chambal, Sind, Betwa, Ken.

• It cuts across the Nag Tibba, the and the Shiwalik ranges.It emerges out of the hilly area and enters plains near.Its main affluent in the upper reaches is the Tons which also rises from the Bandarpunch glacier.

• It unites with the Ganga near Triveni Sangam, Allahabad. The total length of the Yamuna from its origin till Allahabad is 1,376 km.It creates the highly fertile alluvial, Yamuna-Ganges Doab region between itself and the Ganges in the Indo-Gangetic plain.

• The Chambal rises in the highlands of Janapao Hills (700 m) in the Vindhyan Range.It flows through the Plateau.

• It joins the Yamuna in Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh.The total length of the river is 1,050 km.

• The is the first of the four dams built on the Chambal River, located on the Rajasthan- border.The Rana Pratap Sagar dam on Chambal River in Chittorgarh district in Rajasthan.The Jawahar Sagar Dam is the third dam in the series of Chambal Valley Projects, of Kota city. BANAS,SINDH,BETWA AND KEN RIVERS

• .The Banas is a tributary of the Chambal.It originates in the southern part of the Aravali Range.It join the Chambal on Rajasthan – Madhya Pradesh border near Sawai Madhopur.

• Sind River.The Sind originates in Vidisha Plateau of Madhya Pradesh.It flows for a distance of 415 km before it joins the Yamuna.

• .The Betwa rises in Bhopal district (Vindhyan Range) and joins the Yamuna near.It has a total length of 590 km

• Son RiverThe Son River rises in the Amarkantak Plateau.Its source is close to the origin of the Narmada.It joins the Ganga near Danapur in Patna district of Bihar.It flows for a distance of 784 km from its source.. DAMODAR RIVER

• The 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 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.The total length of the river is 541 km. GANGA RIVER SYSTEM

LEFT TRIBUTARIES RIVERS

• The major tributaries apart from the Yamuna, are the Ramganga, the Gomati, the Ghaghra, the Gandak, the Burhi Gandak, the Bagmati, and the Kosi.

• Ramganga River.The Ramganga river rises in the Garhwal district of Uttarakhand.It enters the Ganga Plain near Kalagarh.

• Ghaghra River.Its source is near Gurla Mandhata peak, south of Manasarovar in Tibet (river of the trans-Himalayan origin). It is known as the Karnaili in Western Nepal.The Ghaghara joins the Ganga a few kilometres downstream of Chhapra in Bihar.

• Kali River.Rises in the high glaciers of trans-Himalaya. It forms the boundary between Nepal and Kumaon. It is known as the Sarda after it reaches the plains near Tanakpur. RIVERS

• 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.It flows into Ganga at Hajipur in Bihar.

• Kosi River.streams flow through eastern Nepal which is known as the Sapt Kaushik region. The sources of seven streams of the Kosi are located in snow covered areas which also receive heavy rainfall.Consequently, huge volume of water flows with tremendous speed.The river enters the Tarai of Nepal after cutting a narrow gorge in the Mahabharata Range.

• 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 waste land in Bihar. Thus the river is often termed as the ‘Sorrow of Bihar’. The Koshi is 720 km (450 mi) long and drains an area of about 74,500 km2 (28,800 sq mi) in Tibet, Nepal and Bihar.

INDIAN GEOGRAPHY

UNIT 2 CHAPTER 5 BASIN

By SIDDHANT AGNIHOTRI B.Sc (Silver Medalist) M.Sc (Applied Physics) WEBSITE :STUDYGLOWS.COM BRAHMAPUTRA RIVER

• It is also called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra.With its origin in the Manasarovar Lake region, located on the northern side of the Himalayas in Burang County of Tibet it flows across southern Tibet to break through the Himalayas in great gorges and into Arunachal Pradesh (India).

• It flows southwest through the Assam Valley as Brahmaputra and south through Bangladesh as the Jamuna .

• In the vast Ganges Delta, it merges with the Padma, finally the Meghna and from here it is known as Meghna before emptying into the Bay of Bengal. BRAHMAPUTRA RIVER

• About 2,899.9 km (1,801.9 mi) long, the Brahmaputra is an important river for irrigation and transportation. The average depth of the river is 38 m (124 ft) and maximum depth is 120 m (380 ft).

• The river is prone to catastrophic flooding in the spring when Himalayas snow melts. COURSE

• Throughout its upper course, the river is generally known as the Tsangpo (“Purifier”); it is also known by its Chinese name (Yarlung Zangbo) and by other local Tibetan names.

• The Brahmaputra enters India in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, where it is called Siang. It makes a very rapid descent from its original height in Tibet and finally appears in the plains, where it is called Dihang.

• It flows for about 35 km (22 mi) and is joined by the Dibang River and the Lohit River at the head of the Assam Valley. Below the Lohit, the river is called Brahmaputra and Burlung-Buthur by native Bodo tribals, it then enters the state of Assam, and becomes very wide—as wide as 20 km (12 mi) in parts of Assam. COURSE(TIBET)

• It receives several rapidly rushing Himalayan streams, including the Subansiri, Kameng, Bhareli, Dhansiri, Manas, Champamati, Saralbhanga, and Sankosh Rivers.

• Between Dibrugarh and Lakhimpur Districts, the river divides into two channels—the northern Kherkutia channel and the southern Brahmaputra channel.

• The two channels join again about 100 km (62 mi) downstream, forming the Majuli island, which is the largest river island in the world. BANGLADESH

• In Bangladesh, the Brahmaputra is joined by the Teesta River. one of its largest tributaries. Below the Tista, the Brahmaputra splits into two distributary branches.

• The western branch, which contains the majority of the river's flow, continues due south as the Jamuna to merge with the lower Ganga, called the Padma River .

• The eastern branch, formerly the larger, but now much smaller, is called the lower or old Brahmaputra. It curves southeast to join the Meghna River near Dhaka.

• The Padma and Meghna converge near Chandpur and flow out into the Bay of Bengal. This final part of the river is called Meghna. BANGLADESH

• The Jamuna joins with the Ganga north of Goalundo Ghat, below which, as the Padma, their combined waters flow to the southeast for a distance of about 120 km (75 mi).

• After several smaller channels branch off to feed the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta to the south, The growth of the Ganga-Brahmaputra Delta is dominated by tidal processes.

• The Ganga Delta, fed by the waters of numerous rivers, including the Ganga and Brahmaputra, is 59,570 square kilometres (23,000 sq mi) the largest river deltas in the world KNOWN AS SUNDARBAN BANGLADESH RIVERS RIVERS

INDIAN GEOGRAPHY

UNIT 2 CHAPTER 4 DELTAS OF SUNDARBANS

By SIDDHANT AGNIHOTRI B.Sc (Silver Medalist) M.Sc (Applied Physics) WEBSITE :STUDYGLOWS.COM GANGA RIVER CHAMBAL RIVER SUNDARBAN

• The Sundarbans is a mangrove area in the delta formed by the confluence of Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna Rivers in the Bay of Bengal.

• It comprises closed and open mangrove forests, agriculturally used land, mudflats and barren land, and is intersected by multiple tidal streams and channels.

• Four protected areas in the Sundarbans are enlisted as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, viz Sundarbans National Park, Sundarbans West, Sundarbans South and Sundarbans East Wildlife Sanctuaries.

• The Sundarbans mangrove forest covers an area of about 10,000 km2 (3,900 sq mi). Of which, forests in Bangladesh's Khulna Division extend over 6,017 km2 (2,323 sq mi) and in West Bengal, they extend over 4,260 km2 (1,640 sq mi). SUNDARBAN

• The most abundant tree species are Sundri (Heritiera fomes) and Gewa (Excoecaria agallocha). The forests provide habitat to 453 faunal wildlife, including 290 bird, 120 fish, 42 mammal, 35 reptile and eight amphibian species.

• The forest is suffering from increased salinity due to rising sea levels and reduced freshwater supply. Again in May 2009 Cyclone Aila devastated Sundarban with massive casualty. According to news paper source at least 1 lakh people were affected due to this cyclone. GANGA RIVER

• The length of the Ganges is frequently said to be slightly over 2,500 km (1,600 mi) long, about 2,505 km (1,557 mi), to 2,525 km (1,569 mi), or perhaps 2,550 km (1,580 mi).

• Sometimes the source of the Ganges is considered to be at Haridwar, where its Himalayan headwater streams debouch onto the Gangetic Plain.

• The basin covers parts of four countries, India, Nepal, China, and Bangladesh; eleven Indian states, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, West Bengal, and the Union Territory of Delhi. GANGA RIVER

The ranges from the Himalaya and the Transhimalaya in the north, to the northern slopes of the Vindhya range in the south, from the eastern slopes of the Aravalli in the west to the Chota Nagpur plateau and the Sunderbans delta in the east. STUDYGLOWS

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