DRAINAGE

LESSON_3
 Drainage
• The term drainage describes the river system
of an area.
• The area drained by a single river system is
called a drainage basin.
Water Divide

Any elevated area such

as a mountain or an
upland which separates
two drainage basins.
Such an upland is known
as a water divide.
India Rivers
Difference between Himalayan rivers
and Peninsular rivers
Drainage Pattern
Dendritic pattern
• Dendritic pattern
develops where the
river channel follows
the slope of the terrain.
• The stream with its
tributaries resembles
the branches of a tree.
Trellis pattern
• When a river is joined
by its tributaries at right
angles develops a trellis
pattern.
• This pattern develops
where hard and soft
rocks exist parallel to
each other.
Rectangular drainage pattern
• This pattern develops
on a strongly jointed
rocky terrain.
The Radial Pattern
• Radial pattern develops
when a stream or river
flows in different
directions from a
central peak or dome
like structure.
Features made by rivers
Indus River system
River Indus
 Indus River system
• Origin-Rises in Tibet,near lake Manasarowar.
• It enters India in the Ladakh district of Jammu and
Kashmir.It forms a gorge here.
• Its tributaries are zaskar,Nubra,Shyok,Hunza join in Kashmir
region.
• The Indus flows through Baltistan and Gilgit and emerges
from the mountains at Attock.
• The major tributaries Ravi,Beas,Jhelum,Sutlej and Chenab
join together to enter the Indus near Mithankot in Pakistan.
• Indus flows southwards reaching Arabian sea east of
Karachi.
• Indus plain has a very gentle slope and its length is 2900
km.
• One third basin of Indus lies in India and the rest in
Pakistan.
 Indus Water Treaty
• The Indus Waters Treaty is a water-sharing treaty
between India and Pakistan, brokered by the
World Bank. The treaty was signed in Karachi on
September 19, 1960 by Indian Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru and President of Pakistan Ayub
Khan.
• According to this treaty India can use only 20% of
water.
• The water is used foe irrigation in Punjab,Haryana
and western part of Rajasthan.
Ganga river System
Origin of Ganga
 Ganga river system
• The headwaters of Ganga{origin} called Bhagirathi is fed by
Gangotri glacier and joined by Alakananda At Devaprayag at
Uttarakhand .
• At Haridwar ganga emerges from the mountains to the
plains.
• Major tributaries are Yamuna,Ghaghra, Gandak and Kosi.
• Yamuna rises from Yamunotri, flows parallel to the ganga
and meets ganga at Allahabad.
• The gaghara, gandak and kosi rise in the Nepal Himalaya.
• They flood every year and enrich the soil for agricultural
activity.
• The chambal,Betwa and the Son rise in peninsular uplands
and have shorter course.
• The Ganga flows eastwards till
Farakka.
• The river bifurcates here –
Bhaghirathi and
Hooghly(Distributaries)flow
southwards and reach Bay of
Bengal.
• The main river flows
southwards into Bangladesh
and is joined with
Brahmaputra where it is
known as Meghna.
• They form the worlds largest
delta the Sundarbans.
Meandering of Ganga
Brahmaputra river system
• The Brahmaputra rises in
Tibet east of
Manasarowar lake.
• It flows eastwards parallel
to the Himalayas.On
reaching Namcha Barwa
it takes a U turn and
enters India through
Arunachal Pradesh.
• It is called Dhiang and is
joined by Dibang,Lohit
• In Tibet it carries less volume of water.
• In India it passes through region of high
rainfall and carries large volume of water.
• It has braided channel and forms many
riverine islands.
• It overflows and causes flood every year.
• It also shifts its channel frequently.
Braided river system and Majuli
The peninsular rivers
Narmada basin
• The Narmada rises in the
Amarkantak hills in MP.
• It flows towards the west
and drains into the
Arabian sea.
• The tributaries are very
short and they join the
river at right angles.
• Narmada basin covers
part of MP and Gujarat.
Jabalpur in MP
Marble Rock and Dhuadhar falls
Tapi Basin
• Tapi rises in Satpura
ranges in the Betul Dist of
MP.
• It also flows through a rift
valley but is shorter in
length.
• It covers part of MP,
Gujarat and Maharashtra.
• The coastal plain between
the Western Ghats and
Arabian sea is very
narrow, hence the coastal
rivers are very short.
The Godavari Basin
• Godavari is the largest
peninsular river.
• It rises in the slopes of western
ghats in the Nasik districit of
Maharashtra.
• Its length is about 1500 km.
• Its basin covers the state of
Maharashtra ,MP, Orissa and
AP.
• Its tributaries are Purna,
Wardha,Pranhita,Manjra,
Wainganga and Penganga.It is also
known as Dakshinganga.
Mahanadi Basin
• Mahanadi rises in the
highlands of Chhattisgarh
flows through Orissa and
drains into the Bay of
Bengal.
• Its length is about 860km.
• It flows through the state
of Maharashtra,
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand
and Orissa.
The Krishna Basin
• It rises from a spring in
Mahabaleshwar. It flows
for about 1400km and
drains into the Bay of
Bengal.
• Its tributaries are the
Koyna, Thungabadra,
Ghatprabha, Musi and
Bhima.
• It flows through the states
of Maharashtra,
Karnataka and AP.
Source of River Krishna
The Kaveri Basin
Kaveri
• Kaveri rises in the
Brahmagri range of
western ghats and drains
into the Bay of Bengal in
the Cuddalore district.
• It flows through a length
of 760 km through the
states of Karnataka,
Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
• .Its tributaries are
Amaravati Bhavini
Hemavathi and Kabini.
 Lakes
• (iii) The Chilika lake,
the Pulicat lake (lagoon lake)
and the Kolleru lake. Ox-bow
lakes. (iv) The Dal lake,
Bhimtal, Nainital, Loktak and
Barapani are some of the
other important fresh water
lakes..
• Most of the fresh water lakes
are in the Himalayas and they
are of glacier origin.
• The Wular lake is formed out
of tectonic activity and also
the largest fresh water lake in
India.
• Lakes are water bodies
surrounded by land.
• Some lakes have water only
during the rainy season.
• A meandering rivers have cut
offs that develop into a ox-
bow lake.
• Spits and bars forms lagoons in
the coastal areas.
• Lakes are also fresh water lake
and salt lakes.
• The damming of rivers for
hydro electric power has
resulted in formation of lakes.
• Eg Guru Gobind Sagar
 Uses of lakes
• Lakes help to regulate • They moderate the
the flow of water. climate of the
• It helps to prevent surrounding area,
flooding during the maintain aquatic
rainy season and helps ecosystem, enhance
to maintain even flow natural beauty and help
of water in the dry to develop tourism.
season.
• It can also be used to
generate hydro electric
power.
 Uses of rivers
• Rivers are the lifelines of nation. Rivers have been of
fundamental importance in the settlement and
progress of man throughout the human history.
The rivers form broad, fertile alluvial plains that have
been the cradle of human civilization.
Water from the river is a basic natural resource,
essential for various human activities. They provide
water for domestic use. Rivers provide water for
irrigation that helps to develop agriculture in the
surrounding area.
• It also helps to generate hydro electric power.