South Indian rivers:
1. Most of the rivers flow from west towards the east.
2. The source of these rivers is in mountain region.
3. They are mostly rain-fed and do not flow throughout the year.
4. They are suitable for irrigation.
5. They form large fertile plains.
6. They include more waterfalls.
7. Divided in two parts—rivers which drain in Bay of Bengal and others which drain into Arabian Sea.
North Indian rivers:
1. The rivers flow to south from north.
2. The source of these rivers is Himalayas.
3. These rivers are perennial rivers. They flow throughout the year.
4. They are very suitable for irrigation.
5. They do not form long fertile plains.
6. They include less waterfalls.
7. Divided into three parts—Indus river system, Ganga river system, and Brahmaputra river system.
(a) Indus river system: The rivers of this system originate from the western Himalayas, flow upwards and drain into the Arabian Sea. It includes the Indus and its tributaries, i.e. Satluj, Beas, Chenab, Ravi and Jhelum. The upper drainage course of these rivers is in India and the lower drainage course is in Pakistan. The river Satluj originates from the Rakshastal near Mansarovar lake in the southern slope of the Kailash mountain. It is on this river that Bhakra Nangal dam has been constructed near Ropar in Punjab. The famous tourist city, Srinagar is situated on the bank of river Jhelum.
(b) Ganga river system: This system includes the rivers originating from the North, i.e. Ganga and its tributaries namely Yamuna, Ghagra, Gandak, Kosi, etc. and the rivers originating from Plateau, i.e. Chambal, Betwa, Kalisindh and Son. The Ganga is the most significant river of India. It originates from the Gangotri glacier. It is in fact, formed at a point where both the Bhagirathi and the Alaknanda meet and this meeting point is known as Devprayag. The river Ganga enters the plain area near Haridwar. It is joined by Yamuna near Prayag, Gomti near Gajipur, Ghaghra near Chhapra. Yamuna is its main tributary. It originates from Yamunotri. Chambal, Betwa, Ken, etc. merge in it. The river Ganga enters Bangladesh near Farakka. Here it is called Padma. Before falling into the Bay of Bengal it forms a delta with the river Brahmaputra. Chambal is the tributaiy of the Yamuna and it is the only perennial river of Rajasthan. Its tributaries are the Banas, Parvati, Kalisindh, etc.
(c) Brahmaputra river system: Brahmaputra is the longest river of India. It originates in a place near Mansarovar lake of the Kailash mountain in Tibet. It flows eatwards parallel to the Himalayas. When it reaches eastern end of the Himalayas, it is called the river Tsangpo’. Then it takes turn to the south and then towards west and flowing through Assam enters Bangladesh and then joins river Ganga. Its tributaries are Dibang, Lahit, Dihang, Tista, Janjhi, Kulsi, Manas and Kapil. Many islands are found in between this river. It is known for the occurrence of horrible floods.
(a) Rivers draining in the Bay of Bengal: Most of the rivers of the Peninsular Plateau originate from West and are drained into the Bay of Bengal. The major rivers are Damodar, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Bhima, Mahanadi, Tungbhadra and Pennar. River Kaveri originates from district Durg of Karnataka. It is called the Ganga of South India. Its water has become a cause of dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The fertile land of Thanjavur district is due to the Kaveri delta formed here. It is called the Garden of South. The river Mahanadi originates from the Raipur district of Chhattisgrh. Hirakud dam has been constructed on this river. Its delta is very fertile. The River Krishna originates from the Western ghat near Mahabaleshwar. Near Vijaywada, the canals have been taken out to construct anicut on this river. The river Godavari is the largest river of Peninsular Plateau. It originates from Trayanbak in western ghats near Nasik in Maharashtra. Several islands are found in the last end part of the river due to increase in its width here.
(b) Rivers draining in the Arabian Sea: The Narmada and the Tapti are the major rivers which drain into the Arabian Sea. The Narmada is the longest river. It originates from Amarkantak and flows in rift valley. It presents a beautiful view of the marble rocks of Bhedaghat near Jabalpur and Kapildhara fall. The river Tapti originates in Betul district of Madhya Pradesh. The other rivers which drain into the Arabian Sea are Mahi, Sukari, Badi, Sharavati etc.
