The Peninsular Rivers

Introduction

Many Peninsular Rivers are seasonal as their flow is dependent on rainfall. These have shorter and shallower courses.  Some of them appear in the central mounds and flow towards the west. 

• The main water peak in Peninsular India is formed by the Western Ghats
• Most of the peninsular rivers flow into the Bay of Bengal and make delta on their mouths
• The Narmada and the Tapi are the lone long rivers, which flow West and form arms
• The drainage basins of the peninsular rivulets are comparatively lesser in size
• The main West flowing rivers are Sharavati, Narmada, Sabarmati, Mahi, Tapti, Bharathpuzha and Periyar while the East flowing rivers are Godavari, Krishna, Damodar, Brahmani, Baitarni, Vamsadhara, the Penner, the Palar, the Vaigai and Subarnrekha

The Narmada Basin 

• It arises in the Amarkantak Hills in Madhya Pradesh and flows towards the West in a rift valley formed due to faulting
• Picturesque locations:
  • ‘Marble rocks’ (near Jabalpur): Here the river flows through a deep gorge
  • ‘Dhuandhar falls’: Here the river plunges over steep rocks
• All its tributaries are very short and most of these join the mainstream at right angles
• Its basin covers parts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat
• After flowing a distance of about 1312 km, it meets the Arabian Sea south of bharuch

The Tapi Basin

• The Tapi rises in the Satpura ranges, in the Betul quarter of Madhya Pradesh and drains into the Arabian Sea through the Gulf of Khambhat
• With a length of around 724 km, the river flows through the states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujrat. It flows through Surat and is crossed by ONGC Bridge
• It flows in a rift valley and the other river which flows through the rift valley is the Narmada river. Three peninsular rivers flow through the rift of the valley namely, Narmada, tapi and Mahi
• Running from east to west, Its basin covers the corridor of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra

The Godavari Basin

• It is the largest peninsular river and rises from the slopes of the Western Ghats in the Nasik district of Maharashtra
• Flowing for almost 1465 km, the river first flows eastwards across the Deccan plateau, then turns southeast, thereby entering west and east Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh and finally empties into the Bay of Bengal at Narsapur in west Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh
• The basin covers a wide area in Maharashtra (around 50 per cent of the basin area lies in Maharashtra)
• Right Bank Tributaries: Pravara, Manjira, Manair, Kinnerasani etc
• Left Bank Tributaries: Purna, Pranahita, Indravati, Tliperu, Sabri etc
• The Manjra, the Wainganga and the Penganga are large tributaries
• It is known as the Dakshin Ganga because of its length and the zone it covers

The Mahanadi Basin

• It rises in the heights of Chhattisgarh and flows through Odisha
• It is the lifeline of people in Odisha
• The length of the rivulet is about 860 km
• Its drainage basin is shared by Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Odisha
• Left Bank Tributaries: Seonath, Mand, Ib, Hasdeo etc
• Right Bank Tributaries: Ong, Parry, Jonk, Telen etc
• The river ends at the false point

The Krishna Basin

• It rises from a spring near Mahabaleshwar and flows east for about 1400 km 
• Its drainage basin is shared by Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh
• Left Bank Tributaries: Bhima, Dindi, Peddavagu, Musi, Paleru, Munneru etc
• Right Bank Tributaries: Kundli, Venna, Koyana, Panchganga, Dudhganga, Ghtaprabha, Malprabha, and Tungabhadra
• It empties into the Bay of Bengal at hamsaladeevi in Andhra Pradesh on the east coast

The Kaveri Basin

• It rises in the Brahmagiri range of the Western Ghats and its total length is about 760 km
• It reaches the Bay of Bengal south of Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu
• Left Bank Tributaries: Harangi, Hemavati, Shimsha, Arkavathy
• Right Bank Tributaries: Lakshamana, Tirtha, Kabini, Bhavani, Noyyal, Amravati, Moyar etc
• Its basin drains Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu

Conclusion

Peninsular rivers are the lifeline of Central and South India. The main water peak in Peninsular India is formed by western ghats where the flow of these peninsular rivers is seasonal due to dependency on rainfall. Narmada, Tapi, Mahanadi, Krishna, Kaveri and Godavari are the major basins of peninsular India. The Narmada Basin covers parts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat and rises in the Amarkantak Hills whereas the Tapi Basin rises in the Satpura ranges in the Betul quarter of Madhya Pradesh and it covers the parts of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The Godavari is the largest peninsular river and it rises from the slopes of western ghats in Nasik district covering a length of 1500 km. Similarly, the Mahanadi rises in the heights of Chattisgarh and flows through Odisha. Whereas, the Krishna basin is participated by Maharashtra, karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and flows east for about 1400 Km. The Kaveri river rises in the Brahmagiri range of Western Ghats and reaches south of Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu. These rivers are essential for the socio-cultural and economic growth of a nation.