IX Geography Ch-3 Drainage

 

IX    Geography Ch-3

Drainage

 

River system

v A river along with its tributaries is called a river system

v Water divide

v Any elevated area such as mountain or an upland which separate two drainage basins is known as water divide

v Ambala is located on the water divide between Ganga and bad Indus river system

 

River pattern

v A form in which  a stream is seen is known as river pattern

v Four patterns formed by the rivers

1.Trillis

2.Radial

3.Dendritic

4.Rectangular

 

Himalayan river system

 

1 .Indus river system

Origin Near Mansarovar lake, in Tibet

Tributaries

v In Jammu and Kashmir – Shyok, Hunza, Zaskar and  Nubra.

v Satluj, Beas, Ravi, Chenab and Jhelum meets Indus near  Mithankot in Pakistan

v From Tibet, river flows towards west and enters India through Ladakh district (J&K).

v In Kashmir valley, river flows through Baltistan and Gilgit and emerges at Attock mountain

v It  Enters Pakistan and flows southwards towards Arabian sea where it    Forms a delta to the east of Karachi in Pakistan.

v Its total length is 2900km.

 

Brahamaputra River System

 

v Origin it rises from the East of Mansarovar lake in Tibet.

v In Tibet it carries smaller volume of water It flows eastward parallel to Himalayas in the Tibet.

v On reaching Namcha Barwa, it takes a ‘U’ turn and enters India through a gorge in Arunachal Pradesh.here its tributaries Dibang lohit join it

v The river moves towards Assam  and it passes through a region of high rain fall these factors increase the volume of water and it becomes a big river in India .

v it  enters in Bangladesh to form the delta with Ganga.Meets with Ganga in Bangladesh and forms the largest delta of the world known as Sundarban Delta (Bay of Bengal )

v Its total length is 2900km

 

Ganga river system

 

v Headwaters Bhagirathi from Gangotri glacier meets with Alaknanda at Dev Prayag in Uttarakhand to form river Ganga

v its Left bank tributaries are Ghaghara, Gandak and Kosi rising from Nepal Himalayas.

v its Right bank tributaries:

v Yamuna is the largest tributary.

v Son, a peninsular river is also a right bank tributary.

v Sind, Chambal, Betwa are the tributaries of Yamuna and therefore, becomes a part of *From Dev Prayag the river flows in the rugged mountainous region and enter the plains at Haridwar.

v Crossing the states like Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal the river enters Bangladesh.

v At Farakka in West Bengal, The river divides itself into distributaries like Hoogli. From here, the river moves southward to form the delta towards Bay of Bengal

v It Meets with Brahmaputra in Bangladesh and forms the largest delta of the world known as Sundarban Delta Bay of Bengal.

v The length of Ganga river is  2500km. it has largest basin .

 

East flowing rivers and West flowing rivers.

 

East flowing rivers   

1.  These rivers originate from or near to

the Western Ghats and flows towards east.

2.  These peninsular rivers have longer

courses and more sediments deposition.

3.  Most of the east flowing rivers forms

delta while entering into the Bay of Bengal.

4.  Ex. Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri.

Brahmani, Damoder, Baitrani and Subarnrekha are some of the small rivers that flow towards the east.

5.These rivers drain into bay of Bengal .

6.The tributaries of these rivers are large in size

7.These rivers flow through shallow valleys .

 

 

 

West flowing rivers

 

1.These rivers originate from east and flows  towards western India.

2.These rivers have shorter courses and carry less sediment with them.

3.Most of the rivers forms estuary while entering the Arabian sea.

4.These rivers drain into Arabian sea .

5.The tributaries of these rivers are small in size

7.These rivers flow through rift valleys

8.Ex. Narmada and Tapi  The main rivers that flows towards the West are Periyar, Bharathpuzha, Mahi and Sabarmati.

 

 

Godavari Basin

 

v Rises from slopes of the Western Ghats in Nasik district of Maharashtra

v Purna, Wardha, Penganga, Wain ganga ,Indravati,  the  Pranhita,  and  the  Manjra  are it’s   principal   tributaries.  

v Godavari has the largest drainage basin among the peninsular rivers.

v It covers Maharashtra (50%), Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, and Andhra Pradesh.

v The largest peninsular river. This  river  after  Rajamundri splits  into  several  branches  forming  a  large delta.

v Length is 1500 km. Falls into the Bay of Bengal

 

Godavari ‘Dakshin Ganga’

 

v River Ganga and Godavari  carry similar characteristics, therefore, river Godavari is often referred to as ‘Dakshin Ganga’.

1.  As river Ganga is the largest river of India with the largest drainage basin, similarly Godavari is the largest river of peninsular India with the largest drainage basin.

2.  River Godavari and Ganga have the similar religious sentiments of the people attached to it.

 

The Mahanadi Basin

v Mahanadi river Rises from the highlands of Chhattisgarh and flows through Orissa.

v It  falls  into the Bay of Bengal.

v Its  Length is 860 km.

 

The Krishna Basin

 

v River Krishna Originates from Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra (Sahyadri Range).

v Its Length is 1400 km. The  Krishna  is  the  second  largest  east

flowing  peninsular  river.

v Main tributaries are the Koyana, the Tungabhadra, the Musi, the Bhima and the Ghatprabha.

v Its basin covers Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

 

The Kaveri Basin

 

*River Kaveri Originates from the Brahmagri range of the Western Ghats (Kogadu  district  in  Karnataka) .

*Its tributaries are the Bhavani, the Amravati, the Kabini and the Hemavati.

*Its basin covers parts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

*Its length is 760 km.  It drains an area of  81,155sq .   km.

 

                                                             

 

West ward flowing river

 

The Narmada Basin

v The Narmada river originates from the Amarkantak hills in Madhya Pradesh .

o   It Flows  in  a  rift  valley between  the  Satpura  in  the  south  and  the

v Vindhyan  range  in  the  north.

v *It  Creates striking sites on its way to the sea such as the Dhuadhar falls where the

v river falls over sharp rocks and the Marble rocks  near Jabalpur where the  river flows through a gorge. 

v After flowing  a  distance  of  about  1,312  km,  it  meets the Arabian sea south of Bharuch, forming abroad27 km long estuary.

v Flows through Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh before merging in the Arabian Sea .

v The  Sardar  Sarovar Project  has  been  constructed  on  this  river.

 

The Tapi Basin

 

v It  Originates from the Satpura ranges in Madhya Pradesh.

v It is a Small river. It is 724 km long and drains an area of  65,145  sq.  km.

v It   Flows through a rift valley.

v It   Covers certain parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

 

Luni   River

 

v Luni   is   the  largest   river   system  of Rajasthan, west  of Aravali.

v It  originates near Pushkar  in  two  branches.  i.e.  the  Saraswati and  the Sabarmati.

v Both  join  with  each  other at  Govindgarh.  From  here,  the  river  comes

out of Aravali and is knownas Luni.

v It flows towards the west till Telwara and then takes a  southwest  direction  to  join  the  Rann  of Kuchchh. 

 

Delta and Estuary

 

DELTA

 1.  A delta is formed by the river when it is

about to enter the sea by forming various distributaries.

2.  It is roughly triangular in shape.

3.  The delta region is highly fertile because of the sediment deposition.

4.  Agriculture can be practiced here. 

5.  Ex. River Ganga, Indus, Godavari, Mahanadi forms delta.

 

ESTUARY

 

When the river directly enter the sea it forms an estuary.

2.It is a funnel shaped land feature.

3.The region near estuary is not very fertile.

4.Estuary regions are good for fishing activites.

5.Ex. Narmada and Tapi forms estuary

 

DISTRIBUTARIES  

 1.  Distributaries are the small channels of rivers that separate themselves from the

main river before entering into the sea.

2.  Distributaries are formed in the lower course of the river.

3.  Distributaries decreases the volume of water and the sediments from the main river.

4.  Ex. Hoogli is a distributary of river Ganga.

 

TRIBUTARIES

*Tributaries are rivers or streams that join the main river.

*Tributaries join the main river in the upper and middle course of the river.

*Tributaries increases the volume of water and sediments deposition of the main river.

*Ex. Yamuna is a tributary of Ganga.

 

Importance of lakes

 

a. Regulate the flow of river

v Lakes help to regulate the flow of a river.

v During heavy rainfall, it prevents flooding and  during the dry season.

v It helps to maintain an even flow of water.

 

b. Generation of Hydro Power

v Damming of rivers is done in order to store the water for the generation of Hydro  electricity.

v Ex. Hirakud dam on Mahanadi river.

 

c. Promote Tourism

v Lakes are always an attraction for tourists for recreation.

v Lakes enhance the natural  beauty of the adjoining area and hence, promote tourism.

v Ex. Wular lake, Dal Lake in Jammu & Kashmir.

 

d. Moderate Climate

 

Lakes also help in moderating the climate of the adjoining area that supports ecosystem  within the lake and also outside the lake.

 

Different forms of lakes and their formation

 

A. Oxbow lake

An oxbow lake is formed when the meandering river across a flood plain forms cut offs.

B. Lagoons

Spits and bars in the coastal areas formed by the depositional work of oceanic movement forms a lagoon. Ex. Chilika lake (largest lake in India), Pulikat lake, Kolleru lake

C. Seasonal Lakes

Lakes in the region of inland drainage are sometimes seasonal

These lakes depend upon the rainfall so they contain water only during rainy season.

  Ex. Sambhar lake in Rajasthan which is a salt water lake.

 

D. Glacial Lake

*These types of lakes are mostly found in Himalayan region. They are formed when glaciers  dug out a basin which was later filled snow melt. Ex. Wular lake in Jammu & Kashmir which is the largest fresh water lake.

 

E. Artificial Lakes

Damming of rivers for the generation of hydel power has also led to the formation of lakes. Ex. Guru Gobind Sagar on Bhakra Nangal Project

 

F. Fresh water lakes

These are mostly found in Himalayan region

These lakes originate from glaciers

The dal lake , bhimtal nainital , loktak and barapani are important fresh water lake.

Amount of salt is less in these lakes

 

G-Salt water lakes

Water of these lakes is more saline. Sambhar lake in Rajasthan is used for producing salt 

These lakes are found in the regions of inland drainage and in coastal areas

Chilika lake , pulicat lake and kolleru lake are the lagoons and important salt water lakes of India

 

H- Permanent lakes

These lakes originate from glaciers

Thse contain water through out the year

For example The dal lake , bhimtal nainital , loktak and barapani etc

 

Role of rivers

 

v *Water is life and basic natural resource .rivers are the important source of water .

v They are the lifelines of human civilization.

v Rivers carry water, nutrients and life  to areas all around the earth.

v They play a very important part in the water cycle, acting as drainage channels for surface water.

 

Habitat

 

*Rivers provide excellent habitat and food for many of the earth's organisms.

Many rare plants and trees grow by rivers.

*Ducks, voles, otters and beavers make their homes on the river banks. 

River deltas have many different species of wildlife.

 

Cradle of Civilization

 

All the major civilizations of the  world were settled near to the river banks.
Ex. Indus Valley Civilization, Nile Civilization etc.

Even today, many important cities of the world are settled near to the river banks.

 

Basic Natural Resource

v Rivers hav

v e been of fundamental importance throughout the human history. Water from

v the rivers is a basic natural resource, essential for various human activities.

v They provide water for drinking.

v They recharge the ground water.

 

Deposition of Sediments

 

v The deposition of sediments done by the rivers they make the soil fertile. 

v Rivers have built floodplains and deltas which provide fertile soil for agriculture

v Rivers provide water for irrigation.

v They are used as means of transport.

v They serve s arteries of trade and commerce.

v They provide travel routes for exploration, commerce and recreation.

v They are also used to generate electricity   for a country

v Rivers are the rich source of biodiversity.

 

Topic: River Pollution

 

Causes of  river pollution

 

Main causes of increasing river pollution are

 

 a. Industrial Effluents:

 

v Industries use water for processing and cooling.

v A heavy load of industrial effluents is discharged into the rivers.

v This affects the quality of water and also the self cleansing capacity of the river.

v All these industrial wastes are toxic to life forms that consume this water. 

v Thermal power plants, paper mills, steel plants, textile and sugar, Engineering industries are the major contributors of wastewater.

 

b. Urbanization:

 

v Modern trends of living consume more water.

v Moreover, the sewage problems in cities have added the problem of water pollution. Urban disposal of sewage is responsible for water pollution 

v Nearly 80% of the water supplied for domestic use passes out as wastewater.

v In most cases, this wastewater is let out untreated and causes large scale pollution of the surface water and river water .

 

c. Domestic Use:

The use of rivers and lakes done for domestic purposes like washing and

bathing is adding to the problem of water pollution.

 

d. Water in oceans gets polluted by the leakage of oil from oil tankers

e-  over use of fertilizers and pesticides pollutes the water .

f- Religious faith and social practices also add to pollution of our river waters.

Carcasses of cattle and other animals are disposed in the rivers.

Dead bodies are cremated on the river banks. Partially burnt bodies are also

flung into the river. 

These practices pollute the river water and adversely affect the water quality.

 

Methods to control

 

v The waste products from factories should not be allowed to discharge into rivers

v Oil spills from tankers should not enter in any water body.

v Farmers should minimize the use of fertilizers , herbicide and pesticides

v Polluted water should be treated before discharging it into rivers

v Municipal corporations should not be allowed to dump sewage and waste in to the rivers

v We should Use the minimum amount of detergent and bleach when we wash

clothes or dishes.

v We should Use only phosphate free soaps and detergents.

v We should not  dispose chemicals, motor oil, or other automotive fluids into the sewer systems.

 

v National River conventional plan **

 

 

 

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