APEEJAY SCHOOL MODEL TOWN, JALANDHAR

CLASS- IX
TOPIC- DRAINAGE
SUB TOPIC- CHAPTER NOTES
Q1 Define the Following:
1) Drainage: River system of an area.
2) Drainage System: The area drained by a river along with its tributaries
and distributaries is known as Drainage Basin.
3) Water Divide : When any elevated area, such as a mountain or an upland
separates two drainage basins it is known as Water Divide.
Q2 What is Drainage Pattern?
● The pattern in which the river flows.
● Depending on the slope of land, underlying rock structure as well as the
climate conditions.
Q3 What is the difference between Himalayan and Peninsular Rivers.
The Himalayan River system The peninsular river system
They rise from glaciers or springs in They rise from plateaus and
high mountains. highlands.
Perennial in nature due to Seasonal as they get water from
originating from glaciers. rainfall.
Only suitable for generation of They flow at high speed due to form
hydroelectricity in hilly regions, as waterfalls, thus being suitable for
they are slow flowing in the plaints. hydroelectricity. Generation.
Dams need to be built to create
waterfalls.

Q4 What are the features of Indus river System?

Ans 1) It Rises in Tibet near lake Mansarovar.
2) Enters India from Ladakh It is joined by the tributaries such as the Zaskar,
the Nurba, the Shyok and the Hunza.
 3) Further flowing from the Baltistan and Gilgit, Indus is joined by other
tributaries such as the Satluj, the Ravi, the Chenab and the Jhelum at
Mithankot in Pakistan. Flowing Southwards Indus finally drains into Arabian
Sea.
4) Total length of 2900 km.
Q5 What are the features of Ganga River System?
Ans The three main features of the Ganga river system are
(i) The length of the Ganga is 2500 km. It is India’s longest river.
(ii) It has many tributaries which join it from both sides and form the Ganga
river basin. It has dendritic drainage pattern.
(iii) The Ganga originates from the Gangotri glacier. The headwater of the
Ganga is called ‘Bhagirathi’. It joins Alaknanda at Devaprayag in
Uttarakhand. At Haridwar the Ganga emerges from the mountains on to the
plains.
Q6 Explain the differences between the Indus basin and the Ganga basin in
tabular form.

Indus Basin Ganga Basin

Formed by the Ganga river and its

Formed by the Indus river and its
tributaries like the Yamuna, Son,
tributaries like the Ravi, Chenab,
Ghaghara, Gomati, Kosi, Gandak,
Satluj, Jhelum, Beas, etc.
etc.

Located in Uttarakhand, Haryana,

Located in Jammu and Kashmir,
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya
Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh
Pradesh. Jharkhand and Paschim
and Rajasthan (besides Pakistan).
Banga (besides Bangladesh).

Indus river flows for 3180 km

(including China and Pakistan).Most Ganga river flows for 2506 km
of its tributaries flow from North- (including Bangladesh).
West to South-West.
 It has fertile land and a dense Irrigation facilites required are less
network of canals for irrigation. as it has high rainfall.

Separated from the Ganga basin by Spreads from Ambala in the North-
the Ambala Saharanpur water West to Sunderban in the South-
divide. East.

Q7 Give four characteristics of the Ganga Brahmaputra delta.

Answer: The four characteristics of the Ganga Brahmaputra delta are
(i) The Ganga Brahmaputra delta, also named Ganga delta, Sunderban delta or
Bengal delta is situated in Bangladesh and Paschim Banga state of India, where
the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers discharge into the Bay of Bengal. The total
catchment area of the rivers is 1.72 million sq km.
(ii) It is the world’s largest delta, with a surface area of 1 lakh sq km.
(iii) It is among the most fertile regions in the world. With more than 130
million inhabitants, this belongs to the most densely populated areas in the
world (1300 inhabitants/sq km).
(iv) Downstream of the confluence, the river is named Padma. About halfway
to the ocean the Meghna joins the Padma.
Q8 Compare the East flowing and West flowing rivers of the Peninsular
plateau.
Answer: The East flowing rivers:
(i) These rivers originate from the Western Ghats and flow eastwards.
(ii) They all form deltas at their mouths.
(iii) They drain into the Bay of Bengal.
(iv) They have large volume of water. Examples: Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna
and Kaveri
The West flowing rivers:
(i) These rivers originate in Central India and flow westwards.
(ii) They form estuaries since they flow from rift valleys.
(iii) They drain into the Arabian Sea.
(iv) They have lesser volume of water. Examples: Narmada and Tapi
Q9 What are the features of Brahmaputra River Basin?
Ans 1) It Rises in Tibet; East of Mansarovar lake [Mansarovar lake = Water
divide]
2) It is Slightly longer than the Indus and most of its course lies outside India.
3) From Namcha Barwa, it takes ‘U’ turn and enters into India in Arunachal
Pradesh. Here, it is known as Dihang, joined by other tributaries such as
Dibang, the Lohit etc.
4) Volume of water in river varies in Tibet and India.
5) Entering in India Brahmaputra carries a large amount of water.
6) Silt Forms Riverine Island. The river overflows its banks, causing widespread
devastation due to floods in Assam and Bangladesh.
7) The Brahmaputra is marked by huge deposits of silt on its bed causing the
riverbed to rise.
Q10 Write a note on Narmada Basin
Ans It Rises in the Amarkantak hills
2) Flows west in Rift valley due to faulting
3) River Narmada flows through deep gorge, forming picturesque location. [The
‘Marble rocks’, near Jabalpur, where the Narmada flows through a deep gorge,
and the ‘Dhuandhar falls]
4) Most of the tributaries of Narmada are short and joins at right angle.
[Rectangular pattern] ● River flows in the parts of M.P and Gujarat.
Q11 Write a note on Tapi Basin
Ans 1) Rises in Satpura range in Betul district of Madhya Pradesh.
2) It also flows in Rift valley parallel to Narmada but shorter in length.
3) Flows through three states [M.P, Gujarat and Maharashtra]
4) Drains in Arabian sea.
Q12 Write a note on Godavari Basin.
Ans It is Largest Peninsular River.
2) Covers a large area along with its tributaries.
3) It Rises from slope of the western ghats in the Nasik district of Maharashtra.
4) Total length Length is 1500 km
5) About 50% of drainage basin covers Maharashtra. Also extends to M.P,
Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
6) Tributaries such as the Purna, the Wardha, the Pranhita, the Manjra, the
Wainganga and Penganga.
7) It Drains into Bay to Bengal.
Q13 Write a note on Mahanadi Basin.
Ans 1) It Rises in the Highlands of Chhattisgarh.
2) Total length of Mahanadi is 860 km
3) It flows mainly in Odisha
4) Joined by the tributaries such as Seonath, Jonk, Hasdo, Mand, Lb etc.
5) Its drainage basin is shared by Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and
Odisha.
Q14 Write a note on Krishna Basin.
Ans 1) ItRises from the springs near Mahabaleshwar, flows Eastwards.
2) Its drainage is shared by Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
3) The tributaries of river Krishna are the Tungabhadra, the Konyana, the
Ghatprabha, the Musi and the Bhima etc.
4) It flows over the distance of 1400 km and drains into Bay of Bengal.
Q15 Write a note on Kaveri Basin.
Ans 1) It Rises in the Brahmagiri range of Western Ghats [Karnataka]
2) It Flows West and drains in Bay of Bengal in South of Cuddalore in Tamil
Nadu
3) The total length of river is about 760 km.
4) Its main tributaries are Amravati, Bhavani, Hemavati and Kabini covering the
parts of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Q16 What types of lakes are found in India? Give suitable examples.
Answer: India has many lakes. They differ in size and other characteristics. Most
lakes are permanent, whereas some contain water only during the rainy
season. There are lakes which are formed by the action of glaciers and ice
sheets, while the others have been formed by human activities.
(i) Salt water lakes: Spit and bars form lagoons or salt water lakes in the coastal
areas like the Chilika lake, Pulicat lake and the Kolleru lake. Sometimes salt
water lakes are formed with island drainage like Sambhar lake in Rajasthan. Its
water is used for producing salt.
(ii) Freshwater lakes: Most of these are in the Himalayan region. They are of
glacier origin. They are formed when glaciers dug out a basin, which was later
filled with snow melt. The Wular lake in Jammu and Kashmir is the largest
freshwater lake in India. Other freshwater lakes are the Dal, Bhimtal, Nainital,
Loktak and Barapani.
(iii) Man-made lakes: The damming of the rivers for the generation of hydel
power has also led to the formation of lakes. These lakes are formed to drain
excessive water of the river during floods and adding water to the rivers during
the dry season. Such lakes are the Guru Gobind Sagar (Bhakra Nangal Project),
Nizam Sagar, Nagarjuna Sagar, Rana Pratap Sagar, etc.
Q17 What are the benefits of lakes to human beings?
Answer: The benefits of lakes to human beings are:
(i) A lake helps to regulate the flow of a river.
(ii) During heavy rainfall, it prevents flooding and during the dry season, it helps
to maintain an even flow of water.
(iii) Lakes can be used for developing hydel power too.
(iv) They help in maintaining a moderate climate.
(v) They are able to maintain the aquatic ecosystem.
(vi) They enhance the natural beauty and help in developing tourism and
provide recreation.
Q18 What are the main causes of the pollution in the rivers of India? How can
we prevent this kind of pollution?
i) The growing domestic, municipal industrial and agricultural demand for
water from rivers naturally affects the quality of water.
(ii) As a result, more and more water is being drained out of the rivers,
reducing their volume.
(iii) On the other hand, a heavy load of untreated sewage and industrial
effluents are emptied into the rivers.
(iv) This affects not only the quality of water but also the self-cleansing capacity
of the rivers.
(v) But the increasing urbanisation and industrialisation do not allow it to
happen and the pollution level of many rivers has been rising.
How to prevent pollution:
(i) The effluents of the industries should be treated before they enter the river
waters.
(ii) People of the urban areas living on the banks of the rivers should be
sensitised about the pollution levels of the rivers and the difficulty in cleaning
it.
(iii) Since Indians are religious-minded and most of their festivals are associated
with pure water of rivers, the immersing of deities, and of religious goods and
even the dead are associated with these holy rivers, resulting into pollution,
which needs to be checked and controlled.
Q19 (i) How are the most of the freshwater lakes in the Himalayan region
formed? Give two examples of freshwater lakes of this region.
(ii) How is Sambhar lake useful?
Answer:(i) Most of the freshwater lakes are in the Himalayan region. They are
of the glacial origin. They are formed when glaciers dug out a basin, which was
later filled with snowmelt. Examples of such lakes are Bhimtal, Nainital, Dal
lake. etc. India’s largest freshwater lake is the Wular lake.
(ii) Sambhar lake is India’s largest inland salt water lake. It is located in
Rajasthan in an inland drainage. It is important source of salt in India. It is
famous for production of edible salt here.
Q20 Why are rivers important for the country’s economy?
Answer: Rivers are important for the country’s economy because water from
the rivers is a basic natural resource is essential for various human activities.
The importance of the rivers for the country’s economy are
(i) The rivers provide water for irrigation.
(ii) They provide fertility to the soil.
(iii) They are useful for navigation.
(iv) They help to generate hydroelectricity.
(v) They help to develop tourism.
(vi) They provide water for various domestic uses.
(vii) They provide livelihood to fishermen.
(viii) They help to moderate the climate and environment of nearby areas.
Q21 Make a comparison in tabular form between a delta and an estuary.
Answer: Comparison between a delta and an estuary

Delta Estuary

These are triangular deposits made by These are sharp edged mouths of rivers
rivers at their mouths. without any deposits.

Formed in regions of low tides and Formed in regions of high tides and rift
coastal plaints. valleys.

These are agriculturally fertile lands. They are not agriculturally fertile lands