The Peninsular Drainage System Of India
The Peninsular drainage system is older than the Himalayan drainage system. This river system is seasonal because the volume of water in its rivers depends on rainfall. During dry seasons, the water level of these rivers decreases. The surface is entirely rocky and plateau. These rivers are not navigable. These rivers have lost their erosive power.
Major rivers of the Peninsular drainage system are the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna, the Couvery, etc. The characteristics of these rivers are fixed course, absence of meanders, and nonperennial flow of water.
Some features of these river systems are oriented at lower altitudes, drainage areas are geologically stable, and larger deltas are formed at the mouth of rivers flowing westward.
There are three main directions of flow of Peninsular rivers….
- The East flowing rivers.
- The West flowing rivers.
The East Flowing Rivers of the Peninsula:-
The East flowing rivers of Peninsular India drain their water into the Bay of Bengal.
Mahanadi:- Rises in the DandaKaranya near Sihawa in the Raipur district of Chhattisgarh. It runs through Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, and Orissa, to discharge into the Bay of Bengal. The total catchment area is 851km. Left bank tributaries the Ib, the Mand, the Hasdo, and Seonath join from the north. Right bank tributaries are the Ong, the junk, and the Tel which join from the south. Hirakud dam is the world's longest dam situated on this river. Other dams are Tikarpara, Naraj, etc.
Godavari:- This is the largest peninsular river. Also called Vridha Ganga or Dakshin Ganga. Rises from North Sahyadri near Trimbak plateau in the Nasik district of Maharashtra. It runs through Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Orissa, and Andhra Pradesh and discharges into the Bay of Bengal. Only one right bank tributary is Manjar. The left bank tributaries are Penganga, Wardha, Wainganga, Indravati, Pranhita, and Sabari.
Krishna:- Second largest peninsular river. Rises near Mahabaleshwar hills in the Sahyadris. It flows through Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh and discharges into the Bay of Bengal. Major tributaries Koyna, Muneru, Ghatprabha, Malprabha, Tungabhadra, Musi, and Bhima. Bhima is the largest tributary of the Krishna river.
Kaveri:- This river rises from Tal Kaveri, Brahmagiri hills in Karnataka. This river receives the rainfall during the SouthWest monsoon in the upper catchment area and during the North-East monsoon in the lower catchment area. Srirangam River Island is located on this river. It runs through Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu and drains its water into the Bay of Bengal. Left bank tributaries are the Herangi, Hemavati, Lokpavani, Shimsha, and Amravati. The right bank tributaries are Lakshmantritha, Kabini, Suvarnavati, Bhavani, and Amravati.
The West flowing rivers of the Peninsula:-
The West flowing rivers of Peninsula India drains their water into the Arabian sea.
Narmada:- Narmada is the largest West flowing river on the peninsula. It originates on the flank of the Amarkantak (height 1057m) plateau. This river flows in a rift valley between Satpura in the South and the Vindhya range in the North. It forms a picturesque gorge in marble rocks and Dhuandhar waterfall near Jabalpur. The right bank tributaries are Hiran, Orsang, Barna, and Kolar. The left bank tributaries are Burhner, Bonjar, Shar, Shakkar, Kundi, and Tawa. It drains its water into the Arabian sea South of Bharuch near the Gulf of Khambhat. The Sardar Sarovar project was constructed on this river.
Tapi:- This is the second-largest West flowing river on the peninsula. This river is also known as the Twin and Handmaind of the Narmada. Originate from Multai in the Betul district of Madhya Pradesh. This river basin runs through Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, draining its water into the Arabian sea. The right bank tributaries are Betul, Patki, Aner, and Gomai, and the left bank tributaries Khurisi, Girnar, Bori, and Panjhara.
Loni:- This is the largest river system in Rajasthan. Flowing West of Aravalli. It originates near Pushkar. Saraswati and Sagarmati the two branches join each other at Govindgarh. This river comes out from Aravalli. It flows towards the West till Telwara and joins the Rann of Kuchchh.
Sabarmati:- The name Sabarmati is derived from the combination of the two rivers Sabar and Hathmati. Rises from Mewar in the Aravalli range and falls into the Gulf of Khambhat. Major tributaries are Sedhi and Meshwa.
Mahi:- Rises from Vindhya ranges and runs through Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat and falls into the Arabian sea near the Gulf of Khambhat. The tributaries are Sam, Anas, and Panam.