Comprehensive Notes on Himalayan Rivers Systems

i. Major Himalayan Rivers are the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra.

ii. Because of their length long distance flow and numerous large and important tributaries they are called river systems.

The Indus River Systems:

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i. River Indus rises in Tibet, near Lake Mansarowar.

ii. It flows west and enters India in the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir through a picturesque gorge.

iii. Several tributaries like the Zaskar, the Shyok, and the Huzana join it here.

iv. It flows through Baltistan-the Gilgit and emerges from the mountain of Attok.

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v. Famous five rivers of Punjab-the Satluj, the Beas, the Ravi, the Chenab and the Jhelum-meet the Indus a little above Mithankot in Pakistan.

vi. After this the Indus River flows southwards and ultimately meets the Arabian Sea.

Vii. The total length of the river is about 2900 km. This length ranks it one amongst the longest river of the world.

viii. Nearly 33.3% the Indus basin is located in India-in the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and the Punjab and the 67-|% is in Pakistan.

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Ix. According to the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty (1960) India can only use 20% of the total water carried by this river system.

x. This water is used for irrigation in the Punjab, Haryana and the western parts of Rajasthan.

(ii) The Ganga River System

i. The head water of Ganga (Bhagirathi) originates from Gangotri Glacier.

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ii. It is joined by the Alaknanda and other tributaries at Devaprayag in Uttranchal.

iii. At Haridwar the Ganga emerges from the mountains to the plains.

Numerous Tributaries:

i. From the north, the Ganga is joined by numerous tributaries like-the Yamuna, the Gomti, the Ghaghara, the Gandak and the Kosi.

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ii. The river Yamuna rises from the Yamunotri Glacier in the Himalayas.

a. It flows parallel to the Ganga.

b. It is the right bank tributaries of the Ganga and meets the Ganga at Allahabad.

iii. The Ghaghara, the Gandak and the Kosi rise in the Nepal Himalayas.

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These rivers flood parts of the northern plain every year, causing widespread havoc but enriching the soil for the extensive agricultural lands of the north plains.

iv. The main tributaries coming from the peninsular uplands, are the Chambal, the Betwa, the Son and the Damodar.

a. They rise from semiarid areas.

b. They have shorter courses and do not carry much water in them.

v. Ganga is enriched with the waters from its right and left bank tributaries.

vi. It flows eastwards till Farakka in West Bangal. This is the northernmost point of the Ganga delta.

The river bifurcates here.

vii. The Bhagirathi-Hooghly (distributary) flows southward through the deltaic plains to the Bay of Bangal.

viii. The mainstreams flow southward into the Bangladesh and is joined by the Brahmaputra. It is known as the Jamuna here, further downstream. It is known as the Meghna.

ix. This mighty river, with waters from Ganga, and the Brahmaputra flows into the Bay of Bangal and forms the Sunderban delta. It is the most classic and the largest delta of the world.

(iii) The Brahmaputra Rivers System:

i. Brahmaputra rises in Tibet, east of Mansarowar Lake very close to the sources of the Indus and the Satluj.

ii. In Tibet, it is known by the name, Tsang Po.

iii. It is slightly longer than the Indus, and most of its course lies in Tibet.

iv. It flows eastwards parallel to the Himalayas to its south.

v. When it reaches mountain peak of Namcha Barwa (7757 m), it takes a ‘U’ twin and makes a 5500 m deep gorge.

vii. Then it enters India in Arunachal Pradesh through a gorge. Here it is called the Dihang and it is joined by the Dibang, the Lohit, the Kenula and numerous other tributaries to form the Brahmaputra in Assam.

viii. In Tibet Tsang Po river carries a smaller volume of water and less silt as it is a comparatively dry and hard rocked area.

ix. In India it passes through a region, which receives a huge amount of rainfall. The result is that the river carries a large volume of water and considerable amount of silt.

x. The Brahmaputra has a braided channel in its entire length in Assam, with numerous riverine islands.

xi. Every year during the rainy season, Brahmaputra River floods its banks and causes widespread devastation in Assam and Bangladesh.

xii. The river also shifts its channels during rainy season every year.