Short essay on the Sub-Divisions of Northern Plain

Though the northern plain does not exhibit much relief yet there are certain relief features which help us to subdivide it.

The identity of each of the sub-divisions is significant to provide it with its own personality and identity (1) The Punjab Plain

It is the plain of five rivers. Its western part lies in Pakistan and the eastern one in India. The international border passes through the geographical unity.

The Punjab Plain has the following main characteristics:

(a) Doabs.

The tributaries of the Sind have divided it into many doabs:

(i) Bist Doab.

Area situated between the Bens and the Sutlej rivers. Nawanshahar, Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur arc the main districts.

(ii) Bari Doab.

Area situated between the be as and Ravi rivers. The Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts,

(iii) Rachna Doab.

Area between the Ravi and the Chenab, rivers. Chaj Doab (between the Chenab and the Jhelum) and the Sindh SagarDoab (between Jhelum and the Sindh) are in Pakistan.

(b) The Flood Plains of Khadar.

The plain in the Khadar is called Bet and its border is called Dhaya. This area suffers from floods but this has fertile land suitable for agriculture.

(c) Choes.

These are small streams which descend down the Siwaliks. They cause lot of erosion and deposit sand.

(d) Outliers of Aravalis.

These are the relics of hard rocks in the plain of Haryana. These are very old rocks (350 million years) and create some high relief in the form of mounds and sand dunes in the plain area of Haryana and south-western Punjab.

(2) The Ganga Plain

This plain lies in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Bengal. Its slope in U.P and Bihar is towards the cast but it is south-east in Bengal. The tributary rivers of the Ganga on its north are the Gomti, the Ghaghra (combined Sarda and the Karnali), the Gandak, the Kosi, the Mahanadi, Kali, Tista, etc., and on the south arc mainly the Yamuna and the Son.

The Yamuna has important tributaries from the South – the Chambal (with tributaries Banas, Kali Sindh, Parbati, etc.), the Betwa (with Dhasan) and the Ken. All these rivers have filled up the Ganga plain with sediments brought by them.

It has the following main characteristics:

(i) Bhabar and Terai.

In the north the Bhabar and the Terai belts arc clearly visible. Many parts of Terai have been cleared of the forest and the land has been made cultivable.

(ii) The depth of the alluvial soil.

It ranges between 1000-2000 m.

(iii) The Khadar and the Bangar belts.

The Khadar is lower and the Bangar is the higher land. The slope between the two is called Khol which is 6 to 20 metres.

(iv) Terraces.

There are two types of terraces- new and old. The new terraces are clearly visible but the older ones are not so visible because of their gradual depletion due to erosional activities. Terraces arc common in the doab Khadar areas.

(v) Bhur.

These are found in the form of ridges, which continuously extend over the wind deposited wave-like areas, higher sandy areas and the Bangar upland. These are made up of bars of braided streams. These have developed on the eastern edge of the Ganga in Bijnor and Moradabad districts. The development started in Pleistocene period (1 million years ago).

(vi) River Cones.

The river cones are found in the eastern plain. The northern and the southern tributaries have formed them.

(vi) Ravine Area.

The Chambal, the Betwa and the Ken rivers which descend the peninsular plateau create them.

The sediment has not been deposited much but in conjunction with the peninsular spurs complicated depressions called ravines, have been formed. This is called bad land area.

(3) The Deltaic Plain of Bengal

This is in West Bengal and Bangladesh. The delta starts from the east of the peninsular block and extends through Hooghly-Bhagirathi to the Padma-Meghna river complex. The piedmont plain east of the peninsular block is also included in it.

The doab between Ganga and Brahamputra rivers is also included within it and is called para-delta. The plain merges into the Surma River plain and the Meghna plain in the cast where as the terai area exists in the north.

(4) The Assam Plain

The Brahamputra River flows from Dhubri to Sadiya – a distance of 640 km. It is a narrow plain which is 60 to 100 km broad. This plain is composed of sediments brought by the Brahamputra and its tributaries.

Terraces have developed in the north and south of it. The slope of the plain changes from the north-east to the west. Floods are a common feature. They cause devastation to crops, property and human life.