Quick Revision Module

(UPSC Prelims 2024) Geography

Drainage Pattern
and Types
A geometric arrangement of streams in a region determined by slope, differing rock resistance to weathering and
erosion, climate, hydrologic variability, and structural controls of the landscape is known as drainage pattern.

Rivers on basis
of Drainage

Antecedent Consequent

The rivers that existed The rivers which Godavari and krishna
Indus, Sutlej, etc. rivers descending
before the upheaval of follow general
Ganga are from the Western Ghats
the Himalayas and cut direction of slope
few examples are known as the are some consequent
their courses by making
gorges in the mountains consequent rivers rivers.

Types of Drainage Patterns:

Mains Stream Ridges of

Tributary Resistant Rocks

(a) Dendritic Drainage (c) Trellis Drainage

Central Uplift

(a) Rectangular Drainage (d) Radial Drainage

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Himalayan River System Vs Peninsular

River System
98°E 72° 76° 80° 84° 88° 92° 96°E

36°N
36°N

INDIA
INDUS RIVER BASINS
32° BASIN
PAKISTAN 32°

West Flowing River:

Rivers in Kuchchh,
Saurastra and
river Luni CHINA
28°
(TIBET)
NE
PA
L
BHUTAN
Ganga
Ganga Brahma Putra
Basin
Basin
Basin

BANGLADESH Barak 24°

Basin
i
sin at
Ba arm

Mehar
Su
b

Tropic of
Sa

ba Ba

Bhasin
Ba
rn sin

Cancer
ar

Narmada Basin ita

ek

R ra
ha

Ba ive ni a
Mahanadi si r nd
Tapi Basin n MYANMAR
20° Basin
20°
Godawari Basin
ARABIAN BAY OF
SEA BENGAL

Krishna Basin East Flowing Rivers:

16° Rivers between
Mahandi and Pennar

West Flowing
Pennar
Rivers: Rivers
south of Tapi Basin
East Flowing
Rivers: Rivers
12° between
Kaveri Pennar and
Basin Kanyakumari
12°

ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS

LAKSHADWEEP (INDIA)
(INDIA)

8°N SRI OCEAN

LANKA 0 200 400 60 km 8°N
INDIA
72°E 76° 84° 88° 92°E

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Himalayan River System Vs Peninsular

River System
Aspects Himalayan River Peninsular River
Place of Origin Himalayan mountain covered with Peninsular plateau and central highland
glaciers

Nature of flow Perennial Ephemeral

Type of Antecedent and Consequent leading Super imposed, rejuvenated resulting in

drainage to dendritic pattern trellis, radial and rectangular patterns
Nature of Long course, flowing through rugged Smaller, fixed course with well adjusted
river mountains experiencing headward valleys
erosion and river capturing;
In plains meandering and shifting of
course
Catchment age Very large basins Relatively smaller basin

Age of the Young, active and deepening of valley Old rivers with graded profile and
river lateral erosion
Irrigation Flow through plains and canal system Flow over uneven plateau; canals only in
deltaic region
Hydroelectricity Eastern region has very high potential Natural waterfalls for generating
and large dams are building up electricity

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BANGLADESH
Kachchh
Sa

Damodar

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Ganga River System

The river has a length of 2,525 km and is the largest river basin in India with about one-fourth area
of the country under it.
It rises in the Gangotri glacier near Gaumukh (3,900 m) in the Uttarakhand where it is known as the
Bhagirathi. At Devprayag, the Bhagirathi meets the Alakananda and both makes Ganga.
Along with Brahmaputra, it makes largest delta of the world.
It flows through major cities of India – Kanpur, Allahabad, Patna, and Kolkata.

Western most and the longest tributary of the Ganga, has its source in the
Yamunotri glacier on the western slopes of Bander punch range (6,316 km).
Meets Ganga at Allahabad (Prayag).
Yamuna The right bank tributaries involve the Chambal, the Sind, the Betwa and the Ken
which originates in the Peninsular plateau.
Hindan, the Rind, the Sengar, the Varuna join it on its left bank.
It flows through cities such as Karnal, Delhi, and Agra.

The Gandak river comprises two streams, namely Kaligandak and Trishulganga.
Gandak
It rises in the Nepal Himalayas between Dhaulagiri and Mt. Everest.
It enters the Ganga Plains of India in Champaran, Bihar and joins Ganga at
Sonpur near Patna.

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 The Ghaghara originates in the glaciers of Mapchachungo. It comes out of the
mountain, cutting a deep gorge at Shishapani.
Ghaghara
The river Sarda joins it in the plain before it finally meets the Ganga at Chhapra.
It flows through famous Ayodhya town.

The Ramganga is the first major tributary to join the Ganga from its left near
Kannauj.
Ramaganga
It rises in the Garhwal hills near Gairsain. A large dam has been built on this river
near Kalagarh.

The Damodar drains the eastern parts of the Chotanagpur Plateau where it flows
through a rift valley and finally joins the Hugli at Falta.
Damodar The Barakar is its main tributary. Once known as the ‘Sorrow of Bengal’ the
Damodar has been now tamed by the Damodar Valley Corporation, a
multipurpose project.

The Chambal rises near Mhow in the Malwa plateau from Vindhyan. From Kota,
it traverses down to Bundi, Sawai Madhopur and Dholpur, and finally joins the
Yamuna at Etawah.
Chambal The Chambal is famous for its badland topography called the Chambal
ravines. Ravines are being reclaimed for agricultural and pastoral activities.
Banas river is its main tributary. The main dams across the river are Gandhi Sagar
(Kota), Rana Pratap Sagar and Jawahar Sagar.

The Son originates from the Amarkantak plateau. It has length of 780km.
Son After forming a series of waterfall at the edge of plateau, it reaches Arrah, west
of Patna to join the Ganga. It is known for its frequent river shifting.

The Sarda or Saryu river rises in the Milan glacier in the Nepal Himalayas where
Sharda it is known as the Goriganga. Along the Indo-Nepal border, it is called Kali or
Chauk, where it joins the Ghaghara.

The Mahananda is another important tributary of the Ganga rising in the Darjiling
Mahananda
hills. It joins the Ganga as its last left bank tributary in West Bengal.

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Indus River System

The most important drainage systems of the Indian subcontinent and one of the largest in the
world. It covers a length of 2,880 km, out of which 1,114 km length is in India.
Indus has origin from a glacier near Bokar Chu in the Kailash Mountain range in the Tibet province
of China. In Tibet, it is known as 'Singi Khamban'; or Lion's mouth.
Zaskar river, Suru river, Soan river, Dras, Panjnad rivers are its major left-bank tributaries.
Shyok River, Gilgit river, Hunza river, Swat river, Kunnar river, Kurram river, Gomal River, Tochi, Khurram
and Kabul river are its major right-bank tributaries.

The River finally drains into the Arabian Sea, east of Karachi city.

Rises from a spring at Verinag Spring situated at the foot of the Pir Panjal.
Jhelum Flows through Srinagar and the Wular lake before entering Pakistan.
Joins the Chenab in Pakistan.

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 The Chenab (Asikni) flows in India for about 1180km draining around 26,755 sq km
area.
It is the largest tributary of the Indus.
Chenab
It is formed by two streams, the Chandra and the Bhaga
Hence, it is also known as Chandrabhaga.
Major hydro power plants installed in Chenab are Salal, Baghliar, and Dulhasti.

The Ravi (Parushni) river flows for about 725 km and drains 6000 sqkm area in
India.
Ravi Rises near the Rohtang Pass in Kullu hills in Himachal Pradesh.
Flows through the famous Chamba valley.
Drains an area lying between Pir Panjal and Dhauladhar ranges.

The Beas (Vipasa) river originates from the Beas Kund near the Rohtang Pass.
Flows through the Kullu valley & Kangra Valley.
Beas Enters the Punjab plains where it meets the Satluj near Harike in India's Punjab.
Indira Gandhi Canal that feeds western Rajasthan has origin at Harike,
confluence of Beas and Satluj.

The Satluj (Satadru) river rises from the Rakas Lake near Mansarovar (4,555m) in
Tibet.
This is an antecedent river.
Passes through the Shipki La (4300 m) on the Himalayan ranges at India-China
Satluj
border.
It cuts the Zaskar ranges, Dhaula Dhar range, Shiwalik and finally enters the
Punjab plains.
Feeds the canal system of the Bhakra Nangal project.

The Ghaggar (Saraswati) is an inland drainage which rises in the talus fan of the
Shiwalik near Ambala, Haryana.
Ghaggar After entering the plains, it disappears but reappears at Karnal. Further on, the
stream disappears near Hanumargarh in Bikaner.
It is believed that it is an old tributary of the Indus.

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 Brahmaputra River System

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Bay of Bengal

The Brahmaputra is one of the largest river of not only India but the world. Its total length is 2900km
and basin area is 5,80,000 sq km (916 km and 1,87,00 sqkm in India).

Its origin is in the Chemayungdung glacier of the Kailash range near the Mansarovar lake. From
here, it flows parallel to the Greater Himalayas in the dry and flat Tibetan region where it is known as
Tsangpo.
The river emerges from the foothills under the name of Siang or Dihang.
In Bangladesh, the Tista joins it on its right bank from where the river is known as the Jamuna.

Left Bank
Dibang or Sikang, Lohit, Burhi Dihing, Dhansari (South) and Kalang
Tributaries

Right Bank
Subansiri, Kameng, Manas and Sankosh
Tributaries

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 Godavari River System

76° 78° 80° 82° E

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Mouths of
16° Godavari
Bay of Bengal

The Godavari is the largest Peninsular river. It is 1,465 km long with 49 per cent of river course, lying
in Maharashtra.
The Godavari River is the second-longest course in India with brownish water.
The river is often referred to as the Dakshin (South) Ganga or Vriddh (Old) Ganga.
This river originates from Trimbakeshwar, near Nasik in Maharashtra.
It flows southeast across south-central India through the states of Madhya Pradesh, Telangana,
Andhra Pradesh, and Orissa, and drains into the Bay of Bengal.
The river forms a fertile delta at Rajahmundry.

Left Bank
Purna, Pranhita (Penganga and Warda), Indravathi, Sabari

Right Bank Dharna river, Pravara river, Sindphana river, Manjira river, Peddavagu river

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 Cauvery River Basin

The Kaveri rises in Brahmagiri hills (1,341m) of Kogadu district in Karnataka. Its length is 800 km.
It flows into the Bay of Bengal at Kaveripatnam. It drains parts of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.
Its important tributaries are the Kabini, the Bhavani and the Amravati.

Left Bank the Harangi, the Hemavati, the Shimsha and the Arkavati.

Right Bank Lakshmantirtha, the Kabbani, the Suvarnavati, the Bhavani, the Noyil and the
Amaravati

Krishna River System

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 Krishna is one of the longest rivers of India, which originates from Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra.
The river flows through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Tungabhadra River is the main tributary which itself is formed by the Tunga and Bhadra rivers that
originate in the Western Ghats.
Dudhganga Rivers, Koyna, Bhima, Mallaprabha, Dindi, Ghataprabha, Warna, Yerla, and Musi are some
of the other tributaries.

Left Bank the Bhima,Koyna, the Musi and the Munneru.

Right Bank The Ghatprabha, the Malprabha and the Tungabhadra

Mahanadi River System

The Mahanadi rises near Sihawa, Amarkantak hills in the highlands of Chhattisgarh and runs through
Orissa to discharge its water into the Bay of Bengal. It is 851 km long.
It flows east to the Bay of Bengal. The river drains of the state of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh,
Jharkhand, and Orissa.
The largest dam, the Hirakud Dam is built on the river.

Left Bank Sheonath, Mand, Ib, Hasdeo

Right Bank Ong, Jonk, Tel

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 Narmada River system

The Narmada originates on the western flank of the Amarkantak plateau at a height of about 1,057 m.
Flowing in a rift valley between the Satpura in the south and the Vindhyan range in the north, it
forms a picturesque gorge in marble rocks and Dhuandhar waterfall near Jabalpur.
It meets the Arabian Sea south of Bharuch, forming a broad 27 km long estuary. Its length is 1312 km.
All the tributaries are very short and make trellis pattern. The Sardar Sarovar Project has been
constructed on this river.

Burhner River, Banjar River, Shar River, Shakkar River, Dudhi River, Tawa River,
Left Bank
Ganjal River, Chhota Tawa River, Karjan River

Right Bank Hiran River, Tendoni River, Kolar River, Hatni River, Orsang River

Other Notable Rivers

West Flowing Rivers

Originates from Multai in the Betul district of Madhya Pradesh and discharge
Tapi in Surat district, Gujarat.
The Purna, Girna and Panjhra are its important tributaries.

Luni is the largest river system of Rajasthan, west of the Aravallis.

Originates near Pushkar in two branches, i.e. the Saraswati and the
Luni Sabarmati.
Flows towards the west till Telwara and then takes a southwest direction to join the
Rann of Kutch.

The Mahi river rises in the Satmala hills of the Vindhyan mountains.
Mahi After flowing for 533km, it drains into the Gulf of Khambhat.
It is only river which cuts through Tropic of Cancer Twice along its course.

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 Rises in the Aravalli hills
Sabarmati
Flows into Arabian Sea after flowing over a distance of 300km.

Bharathapuzha The longest river of Kerala, rises near Annamalai hills. Also known as Ponnani.
and Periyar The Periyar is the second largest river of Kerala.

Important river in Karnataka flowing towards the west.

Sharavati
The Sharavati originates in Shimoga district of Karnataka.

The Mandovi and the Zuari are rivers in the state of Goa.
Mahadayi/Mandovi River is described as the lifeline of the Indian state of Goa.
Zuari and
Mandovi joins with the Zuari at a common creek at Cabo Aguada, forming the
Mandovi Rivers
Mormugao harbour.
Panaji, the state capital is situated on the left bank of the Mandovi.
East Flowing Rivers

Comes into existence by the confluence of the Koel and the Sankh rivers near
Rourkela.
The basin is bounded in the North by Chhotanagpur plateau, in the West and South
by the Mahanadi basin and in the East by the Bay of Bengal.
Brahmani
The basin flows through Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Orissa States and drains
into Bay of Bengal.
Together with the river Baitarani, it forms a large delta before emptying into the Bay
of Bengal at Dhamra Port.

South of the Cauvery delta, there are several streams, of which the Vaigai is the
longest.
This basin is bounded by the Varushanadu hills, the Andipatti hills, the
Vaigai
Cardaman hills and the Palani hills on the West and by the Palk strait and Palk
Bay on the East.
The Vaigai entirely lies in the state of Tamil Nadu.

The Pennar (also known as Uttara Pinakini) rises in the Chenna Kasava hill of the
Nandidurg range, in Chikkaballapura district of Karnataka.
Pennar basin extends over states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
Pennar
The fan shaped basin is bounded by the Erramala range on the north, by the
Nallamala and Velikonda ranges of the Eastern Ghats on the east, by the
Nandidurg hills on the south.
The other hill ranges in the basin to the south of the river are the Seshachalam
[famous for Red Sanders] and Paliconda ranges.

The Subarnarekha originates from the Ranchi Plateau in Jharkhand forming the
boundary between West Bengal and Odisha in its lower course.
Subarnarekha
Joins Bay of Bengal forming an estuary between the Ganga and Mahanadi
deltas.

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 Narmada River
Important National
system
Waterways

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