Drainage

The area drained by a single river system.

An elevated area (mountain/upland) that separates two drainage basins. (e.g., Ambala acts as water divide between Indus and Ganga).

Himalayan: Perennial (snow + rain), long course, intense erosion, form meanders/deltas. Peninsular: Seasonal (rain), shorter course, shallower, form estuaries/smaller deltas.

Rises in Tibet (Mansarovar). Enters India in Ladakh. Tributaries: Zaskar, Nubra, Shyok, Hunza. Satluj, Beas, Ravi, Chenab, Jhelum join it in Pakistan. Drains into Arabian Sea.

Headwaters Bhagirathi (Gangotri Glacier) joins Alaknanda at Devprayag. Tributaries: Yamuna, Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi. Flows east to Farakka (WB), enters Bangladesh (Padma), joins Brahmaputra (Jamuna/Meghna), flows into Bay of Bengal.

Formed by Ganga and Brahmaputra. Largest and fastest growing delta. Home to Royal Bengal Tiger.

Rises in Tibet (Tsangpo). Enters India in Arunachal (Dihang). Joined by Dibang, Lohit. Flows through Assam. Huge volume of water and silt. Causes floods.

Narmada and Tapi. They flow through rift valleys and drain into Arabian Sea. They form estuaries.

Largest Peninsular river. Rises in Nashik (Maharashtra). Known as 'Dakshin Ganga'. Drains into Bay of Bengal.

Movements against the Sardar Sarovar Dam on Narmada river.

Regulate river flow, prevent flooding, supply water in dry season, generate hydel power, tourism, maintain ecosystem.

Discharging untreated sewage and industrial waste into rivers. It reduces the self-cleansing capacity of the river.

National River Conservation Plan. Aimed at improving water quality of rivers.

A winding curve or bend in a river.

A crescent-shaped lake formed when a meander is cut off from the main river.

Satpura ranges (Betul district, MP).

Kosi.

Damodar.

Ganga (2500+ km).

India can use only 20% of the total water carried by Indus river system. Signed between India and Pakistan.

Amazon is the largest drainage basin in world.

Indus is one of the longest rivers (2900 km).

Ganga Action Plan (GAP) launched in 1985.

Yamuna rises from Yamunotri.

Brahmaputra is slightly longer than Indus.

Brahmaputra is known as Jamuna in Bangladesh.

Ganga is known as Padma in Bangladesh.

Mahanadi rises in Chhattisgarh.

Krishna rises near Mahabaleshwar.

Kaveri rises in Brahmagiri range.

Jog Falls (Sharavathi) is in Karnataka.

Sivasamudram falls (Kaveri) generates hydroelectricity.

Wular Lake (J&K) is tectonic.

Dal Lake, Bhimtal, Nainital are freshwater.

Sambhar Lake (Rajasthan) is salty (Salt production).

Guru Gobind Sagar is a man-made lake (Bhakra Dam).

Rivers are lifelines of human history.

Settlements on river banks became cities.

Irrigation needs rivers.

Navigation needs rivers.

Hydro-power needs rivers.

Pollution destroys aquatic life.

Untreated sewage is a major pollutant.

Indus Water Treaty

Ganga Action Plan Phase 1

NRCP launched