Geography Class 11: The Indus and the Brahmaputra River System

The Indian drainage system consists of a large number of small and big rivers. The Himalayan drainage consists of several river systems. The Indus and Brahmaputra river systems are considered as the most important river systems in the region.

Indus River System

• The Indus River System is one of the world’s largest river basins, with 11,65,000 square kilometres (India’s is 321,289 square kilometres) and a total length of 2,880 kilometres (in India 1,114 km)
• India’s westernmost Himalayan river is known in Tibet as ‘Singi Khamban, or Lion’s Mouth.’ It springs from a glacier in the Kailash Mountain range at Bokhar Chu (31°15′ N latitude, 81°40′ E longitude) in the Tibetan area at an altitude of 4,164 m
• The Indus River flows between the Ladakh and Zanskar ranges in a north-westerly direction, passing through Ladakh and Baltistan
• It is a gorge in Gilgit in Jammu and Kashmir, cutting through the Ladakh range
• In the Dardistan area of Pakistan, it enters around Chilas
• Tributaries of the left bank: Zaskar, Suru, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Satluj, among others
• Right Bank TRibutaries: Shyok, Hunza, Nubara, Kabul, Khurram, Gomal, Tochi, the Viboa, and the Sangar
• It finally emerges from the highlands around Attock, joined on its right bank by the Kabul river
• The river flows south, receiving ‘Panjnad’ just above Mithankot
• The five rivers of Punjab, the Satluj, Beas, Ravi, Chenab, and Jhelum, are collectively known as the Panjnad
• In India, the Indus exclusively flows through Jammu and Kashmir
• Tributaries of the Left Bank: Zaskar, Suru, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Satluj, among others

Tributaries of the Indus River System

Jhelum:

• It originates from a spring near Verinag, located at the foot of the Pir Panjal in Kashmir’s south-eastern valley
• It passes past Srinagar and the Wular Lake to Pakistan, entering through a deep, narrow valley
• In Pakistan, it enters the Chenab near Jhang

Chenab:

• It is the Indus’ most significant tributary
• It is formed by the confluence of two streams, the Chandra and the Bhaga, near Tandi in Himachal Pradesh. As a result, Chandrabhaga is another name for it
• Before entering Pakistan, the river flows for 1,180 kilometres
• Ravi: It rises west of the Rohtang pass in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu hills and runs through Chamba valley
• It drains the area between the south-eastern Pir Panjal and the Dhauladhar hills before entering Pakistan and joining the Chenab near Sarai Sidhu

Ravi:

• It rises west of the Rohtang pass in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu hills and runs through Chamba valley
• It drains the area between the south-eastern Pir Panjal and the Dhauladhar hills before entering Pakistan and joining the Chenab near Sarai Sidhu

Beas: 

• It comes from the Beas Kund, located near the Rohtang Pass at an elevation of 4,000 metres above sea level
• The river flows through the Kullu valley and makes gorges in the Dhauladhar range at Kati and Largi
• It enters the Punjab plains around Harike, where it meets the Satluj

Satluj: 

• It comes from the Beas Kund, located near the Rohtang Pass at an elevation of 4,000 metres above sea level
• The river flows through the Kullu valley and makes gorges in the Dhauladhar range at Kati and Largi
• It enters the Punjab plains around Harike, where it meets the Satluj

The Brahmaputra River System

Let us look into the Brahmaputra River System in more detail.

• The Brahmaputra, one of the world’s greatest rivers, rises from the Kailash range’s Chemayungdung glacier near Mansarovar Lake
• The Tsangpo, which means ‘purifier,’ then continues eastward longitudinally for almost 1,200 kilometres through southern Tibet’s dry and flat region, known as the Tsangpo
• The Rango Tsangpo is the river’s main right-bank tributary in Tibet
• The Central Himalayas at Namcha Barwa emerges by cutting out a steep gorge (7,755 m)
• Brahmaputra enters into Bangladesh near Dhubri and flows southward

Tributaries to the Brahmaputra river

• The mighty river receives numerous tributaries in an almost 750 km long journey through the Assam valley
• Its major left bank tributaries are the Burhi Dihing and Dhansari (South) 
• Important right bank tributaries are the Subansiri, Kameng, Manas and Sankosh.
  • • Subansiri which has its origin in Tibet, is an antecedent river
• In Bangladesh, the Tista joins it on its right bank from where the river is known as the Yamuna. Finally merging with the river Padma, which falls in the Bay of Bengal

Conclusion

The Indus receives a number of Himalayan tributaries throughout its way. The Brahmaputra is well-known for floods, channel shifting and bank erosion. This is due to the fact that most of its tributaries are large, and bring large quantities of sediments owing to heavy rainfall in its catchment area. Both of these rivers are important to India in terms of geographical, economic and cultural terms.