Important Rivers in India

Introduction:

According to an estimate around 85% of the total population of India lives in the riverine regions. The riverine region of India accounts for 24% of its geographical area and 20% of its population living below the poverty line. Every year, about 2500 millions people depend on rivers for their livelihood. Most Indian cities and towns are built on river banks and totally dependent on them for their survival. There is no city without a river nearby. Rivers have been a part of Indian culture from time immemorial but it is only recently that people have realised their importance.

What are Rivers?

Rivers are a natural feature of the earth and they are present in every part of the world. Rivers are a part of nature and they rise out of many different kinds of earth materials. Grass, soil, and trees along with minerals such as sand, silt, clay, gravel and rock get dissolved by water which in turn becomes river water. The dissolved materials eventually become sediment which flows down the river until it reaches its destination through various tributaries.

Types of Rivers:

There are many types of rivers that can be found on our planet. Some can be categorised under small rivers while others have been made into large river systems by human intervention. They have been constructed by different methods and serve different purposes. Some rivers can be classified into perennial rivers, intermittent rivers, ephemeral rivers and so on.

Way of Flowing:

Rivers can be classified based on the way in which they flow. They can either flow continuously till their waters reach the ocean or they may temporarily lose their water through lakes and ponds or wetland systems such as marshes or swamps. Some river may originate in mountains where snow melts is called a perennial river but some of them disappear into the ground only to appear again from other areas also known as an intermittent river.

A number of tributaries are present in most rivers which eventually lead to one big channel of flowing water. This is the main stream of the river. A river can flow in two ways either downstream or upstream. In most cases, they flow from the higher ground to some lower part of the land.

Rivers in India:

There are many rivers present in India but we will be focusing on some important rivers and their features along with their drainage area, county and their total length. All these rivers have been classified based on the way they flow.

Himalayan Rivers:

The rivers that flow in the mountainous areas of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand are called Himalayan Rivers. In this category, we have Ganga, Yamuna and Brahmaputra.

Himalayan Rivers are basically perennial rivers. They originate from the snow melting in the mountains of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Snow melts into water which in turn forms a river. These rivers form meandering patterns on their way to the ocean and most of them carry large amounts of sediment because of which they have been classified as sediment bearing rivers. Himalayan Rivers are also known as transboundary rivers as they flow through various countries before touching the sea.

Peninsular Rivers

The rivers that flow between the peninsula of India and Pakistan are called Peninsular Rivers. In this category, we have River Yamuna, River Ganga and River Narmada.

Peninsular Rivers are mostly intermittent rivers. They originate from snow melting in the mountains of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh and after that they flow through a series of tributaries and finally join the ocean. They carry large amounts of sediment on their way to the sea as well.

River System in India:

The Brahmaputra River System:

Originating from Tibet, it flows about 2750 km to reach Bangladesh before turning into a distributary of Ganges and eventually flowing into itself by entering India again near Dhubri in Assam. This river has a total length of about 6,380 km and drainage area of about 1,260,000 sq. km. It is one of the major rivers in India as it provides drinking water to more than 140 million people.

The Ganga River System:

Also known as Ganges, it is the longest river in India. Originating from Himalayas it flows through 3 different states and finally joins the Bay of Bengal near Kolkata. This river has a total length of 4500 km or 5137 miles and drainage area of 1,900,000 sq.km or 538,000 sq miles. It is a perennial river and is also known as the Mother Ganges.

The Indus River System:

This is one of the longest rivers in Asia. Originating from the Himalayas it flows through four states of India before finally draining into the Arabian Sea. It has a total length of 2,880 km or 1,853 miles and drainage area of 1,125,000 sq km or 314,000 sq miles. This river is also known as Sindhu because it originates in Sindh province in Pakistan. Its total length marks the longest river system on earth. The Indus River is also known as the “Lifeline of Pakistan” but is a cause of much dispute between India and Pakistan.

The Narmada River System:

Originating from the Amarkantak plateau in Madhya Pradesh, this river flows for a total length of 1210 km or 696 miles. This river has a drainage area of 680,000 sq km or 260,000 sq miles. Like most other rivers of India it is also known as the Lifeline of Madhya Pradesh because it passes through this state before joining Arabian Sea at Gujarat coast. The Narmada river is also important because it forms many beautiful waterfalls and has some great tourist attractions.

The Gondwana System:

It is a series of rivers which come together in Maharashtra and start their journey to join the Bay of Bengal. Most of these rivers are not perennial but they flow only during one season. Out of many rivers, the greatest is the Godavari river which has a total length of 3550 km or 6215 miles. This river has a drainage area of 1,542,000 sq km or 485,000 sq miles.

Conclusion:

Rivers are the lifelines of our country. They provide drinking water to hundreds of millions of people, they form many beautiful waterfalls, they are the channels linking one state with another and so on. These precious rivers must be preserved and conserved by each and every person so that they may flow flowing forever even to the next generation. So, whether you’re a student or not, it is important for you to know about your country’s river system because it is a matter of pride for everyone.