CHAPTER-3 DRAINAGE - CLASS 9TH

INTRODUCTION

 DRAINAGE – river system of an area.

 DRAINAGE BASIN- the area drained by a
particular river and its tributaries and
distributaries is known as its drainage basin.
 WATER DIVIDE – when any elevated area such as
mountain or an upland separates two drainage
basins, it is known as a water divide.
 RIVER SYSTEM – the river along with its
tributaries and distributaries may be known as a
river system.
 Topics we are going to study:-
 Drainage systems in India :-
 the Himalayan rivers
 the peninsular rivers
 Drainage patterns
 The Himalayan rivers
 (Indus, Ganga, Brahmputra)

 The peninsular rivers

(Narmada, Tapi, Godavri, Mahanadi, Krishna, and the

Kaveri)

 Lakes
 Types of lakes
 River pollution
 Role of rivers in the economy

DRAINAGE SYSTEM IN INDIA

 Influenced by the physical features of the

subcontinent. Indian rivers are divided into two
major groups:
1. Himalayan rivers – rivers originating from
Himalayas.
2. Peninsular rivers – rivers originating from
peninsular India.
 Apart from the originating point, Himalayan and
the peninsular rivers also have various other
differences.
 Himalayan rivers

Basis –

1. Point of origin – Himalayas and the glaciers

2. Nature – perennial
3. Source of water – rainfall and glaciers
4. Course – long courses, performs erosional
activities and carries huge loads of silt and
sand.
5. Drains in? – most of the rivers flows towards
east and drains in the bay of Bengal, Indus is
an exception draining in the Arabian sea.
6. Other features – forms flood plains, oxbow
lakes, meanders and deltas.

Examples – Ganga, Brahmputra, Indus, Yamuna etc…

Peninsular rivers

Basis –

1. Point of origin – Western Ghats and the

central highlands.
2. Nature – seasonal.
3. Source of water – rainfall, sponge plateau
concept…
4. Course – short and shallower courses.
5. Drains in? – Most of the rivers flow eastwards
and drains into the bay of the Bengal, Narmada
and Tapi are the major two rivers draining in
the Arabian Sea westwards.
6. Other features – forms deltas while draining in
the oceans, while Narmada and Tapi are the
major rivers forming estuaries.

Examples – Narmada, Tapi, Krishna & Kaveri, etc…

DRAINAGE PATTERNS

What is a drainage pattern?

 It is the pattern in which a river flows.

 It is dependent upon the slope of the land,
underlying rock structures as well as the
climatic conditions.
 There are four types of drainage patterns:-
 1. Dendritic drainage pattern :-
  In this type of pattern, the particular river
flows with the slope of the land.
 This pattern resembles the branches of a
tree.

 Dendritic -
 2. Trellis drainage pattern:-
 In this pattern, hard and oft rocks exist
parallel to each other.
 When the river tries to pass out they
couldn’t break the hard rocks and pass out
by breaking the softer ones.
 In this pattern, tributaries join the river
along with a right angle.
 3. Rectangular drainage pattern:-
 This type of pattern develops on a strong
rock terrain so, whenever the river finds a
turn, it just have it.
 4. Radial drainage pattern:-
  In this pattern, the rivers flow into different
directions from a central high peak.

HIMALAYAN RIVERS
THE INDUS RIVER SYSTEM

 The river Indus firstly rises in Tibet, near the

Lake Mansarovar.
 It enters in the India through Ladakh.
 In India, further flowing the river Indus is joined
by tributaries such as the Zaskar, the Nurba,
the Shyok, and the Hunza.
 Now further flowing from Baltistan and Gilgit,
river Indus is joined by other tributaries such as
the Satluj, the Ravi, the Chenab, the Jhelum,
the Beas, at Mithankot in the Pakistan.
 And now further flowing southwards the river
drains into Arabian Sea by forming a delta.
 The total length of river Indus is 2900km.
 Over a third part of the Indus drainage basin is
located in the India.
 The major part of river flows from Pakistan.
  Do you know? : - about INDUS WATER TREATY
(1960).

THE GANGA RIVER SYSTEM

 The river Ganga is formed by the meeting of its

two main headwaters named the Bhagirathi and
the Alaknanada originating from the Gangotri
glaciers.
 These head-waters merge at Devprayag
[Uttarakhand].
 At Haridwar, Ganga emerges from mountain to
the plains.
 Further coming on the plains river Ganga is joined
by many tributaries from Himalayas.
 The Ghaggar, the Gandhak, the Kosi are some of
its left bank tributaries which all rises from the
Himalayan glaciers.
 The Chambal, the Betwa, the Son, the Ken are
some of its right bank tributaries. These rivers
rise from the semi-arid climatic part of the
peninsular plateau.
 The left bank tributaries of the Ganga floods
part the northern plains every year.
 Causing damage to life and property, at the same
time they enrich the soil for the agricultural use.
 While, the left bank tributaries of the Ganga do
not carry much water as compared to the right
ones.
 Yamuna is the largest right bank tributary of the
Ganga.
 Do you know? – About the Namami Gange
programme.
 Further carrying water from its left and right
bank tributaries the river Ganga flows towards
east.
 Farraka Barrage is the easternmost point of
Ganga in the West Bengal.
 From here Ganga divides into two diversions.
 Bhagirathi-Hugli is a distributary of the Ganga, it
flows through West Bengal.
 When the east flowing Ganga reaches on the
border of India it enters in the Bangladesh.
 When the Ganga enters in Bangladesh its name is
Padma after on.
 This mainstream now flows towards south and
get merged with the Brahmputra.
 The mighty river formed after merging having the
water of both Ganga and Brahmaputra is then
named as the Meghna.
 The Meghna forms its delta while draining in the
Bay of Bengal.
 The delta is named as Sunderban delta which
derived its name from Sundari tree.
 It is world’s largest and fastest growing delta.
 Length of river Ganga is 2500km.
 Ambala is a water divide between the Indus and
the Ganga river system.
 Ambala to the Sunderban there is only about
300m fall in the slope. SO, it results in the
formation of meanders.

THE BRAHMPUTRA RIVER SYSTEM

 Rises in Tibet ; east of Mansarovar lake
 [Mansarovar Lake is a water divide]. In its
Tibetan part it is known as YARLUNG TSANGPO
(ZANGBO).
 When the river flows through its Tibetan part, it
is a very dry and cold region.
 Slightly longer than the Indus and most of its
course lies outside India.
 From Namcha Barwa, it takes a ‘U’ turn, and
Enters into India in Arunachal Pradesh...
Here it is known as Dihang, joined by some of its
Tributaries such as Dibang, the Lohit, etc…
 The volume of water in Brahmputra varies in
Tibet, and India.
 Entering in India Brahmputra carries a large
amount of water.
 As a result of all it though the river started
carrying a lots and lots of silt.
 As a result of this high erosion the silt forms
Riverine islands.
 Question: - which is the world’s largest Riverine
Island?
 It is Majuli; Majuli is the largest Riverine Island
in the world.
 The river overflows its banks, cause widespread
devastation due to floods in Assam and
Bangladesh.
 The Brahmputra is marked by huge deposits of
silt on its bed causing the riverbed to rise.
 After crossing India the river Brahmputra is
known as Jamuna in Bangladesh.

RIVERS IN BANGLADESH
 After crossing India, the river Ganga is known as
Padma and the river Brahmputra is known as
Jamuna in the country of Bangladesh.
 Here these both rivers get merged to form a
large mighty river named as Meghna after
merging.
 River Meghna forms delta while draining into the
Bay of Bengal.
 The delta formed is specifically named as
Sunderban delta.
 THE PENINSULAR RIVERS
 The most of the peninsular rivers originates from
the Western Ghats.
 Western Ghats acts as a water divide in the
peninsular India.
 All the major rivers originating from the Western
Ghats flows towards east, and forms delta while
draining into the Bay of Bengal.
 The Narmada and Tapi are only long rivers, which
flows towards west and make estuaries.
 Peninsular rivers include – Narmada, Tapi,
Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna, and Kaveri, etc...

THE NARMADA DRAINAGE BASIN

 The river Narmada rises in Amarkantak hills
(Madhya Pradesh).
 It flows towards west in Rift valley due to
faulting.
 Further river Narmada flows through deep gorges,
forming lots of picturesque locations like
Dhuandhar falls, Bhedaghat, etc.
 Most of the tributaries of the river are short
and joins the river at a right angle forming
rectangular pattern due to the presence of
Vindhyan and Satpura ranges surrounding it.
 River flows through the parts of MP and
Gujarat.

THE TAPI DRAINAGE BASIN

 Rises in the Satpura range in Betul district of
Madhya Pradesh.
 It also flows in Rift valley like Narmada but is
shorter in the length.
 It flows through three states [MP, Gujarat and
Maharashtra.
 Drains in the Arabian Sea.
 Are there only two west flowing rivers in the
peninsular India?
 No, there are many west flowing rivers flowing
on the coastal regions but their lengths are
short.
 Examples: the Sabarmati, the Mahi, the
Bharatpuzha and the Periyar.
THE GODAVARI DRAINAGE BASIN

 The river Godavari is the largest peninsular river.

 It covers a larger area along with its tributaries,
therefore it is known as DAKSHIN GANGA.
 The river Godavari rises from the slope of the
Western Ghats in the Nasik district of the
Maharashtra.
 The length of the river Godavari is 1500km.
 About 50% of its drainage basin covers
Maharashtra. It also extends to Telangana,
Andhra Pradesh.
 It also has tributaries such as the Purna, the
Wardha, the Pranhita, the Manjra, the
Wainganga, and the Penganga.
 Drains into the Bay of Bengal by forming delta.

THE MAHANADI DRAINAGE BASIN

 The river Mahanadi rises in the highlands of the

Chattisgarh.
 Total length of the river Mahanadi is 860 km.
 It mainly flows in Orrisa.
  It is joined by tributaries such as the Seonath,
the Jonk, the Hasdo, the Mand, and Ib etc.
 Its drainage basin is shared by Chattisgarh and
Orissa.
 Is the source of water is rainfall only?
 No there is also a way more… named as sponge
plateau concept...

THE KRISHNA DRAINAGE BASIN

 The river Krishna rises from the springs near

Mahabaleshwar, and then flows eastwards.
 Its drainage basin is shared by Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh.
 The tributaries of river Krishna are the
Tungabhadra, the Konyana, the Ghatprabha, the
Musi, and the Bhima, etc.
 It flows over the distance of 1400km and drains
into Bay of Bengal by forming a delta.

THE KAVERI DRAINAGE BASIN

 The river Kaveri rises in the Brahmgiri ranges of

Western Ghats [Karnataka].
 Flows eastwards and drains in the Bay of Bengal
in the south of Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu.
 The total length of this river is about 760km.
 Its main tributaries are the Amravati, the
Bhavani, the Hemavati, and the Kabini covering
the parts of the Karnataka, Kerela, and Tamil
Nadu.
 Do you know? –
 71% of the earth’s surface is covered by
water, but 97% of it is salt water. Of the
3% available as freshwater, ¾ is trapped as
ice.
 The river Kaveri makes the second biggest
waterfall in India, known as the
Shivasundaram falls.
 The hydro-electric power generated by these
waterfalls is supplied to Mysore, Bangalore,
and the Kolar Gold Field.
 There are some smaller rivers flowing towards
east such as the Damodar, the Baitarani, the
Brahmani, the Subarnarekha, etc.
 Do you know? - The Kaveri River Dispute.
LAKES

 Lakes play a very important role in our life.

 They act as Tourism centre and enhance natural
beauty.
 They act as habitat for aquatic life.
 They help to regulate the flow of a river.
 They prevent flooding and supply water during
dry season.
 Used for developing hydro-electric power. They
moderate the climate of the surrounding.
 Why do lakes of large extents are called as seas.
Example - Caspian Sea, Dead Sea...

TYPES OF LAKES

 India has many lakes.

 They differ from each other in a variety of ways.
 Some of them are permanent. [Perennial].
 Some contain water only during the rainy season.
 Some of them are salt water lakes.
 Some of them are freshwater lakes.
 Depending upon their formation, they are divided
in four types:-
1. Glacier lakes:-
 These lakes are formed due to the action of
glaciers and ice sheets.
 These lakes are mostly freshwater lakes.
 For these the impoundment or basin is
created before by erosional activities or it is
just created by the glaciers and then filled
by the Snowmelt.
 Example – the Dal lake, Bheemtal, Nainital,
Loktak, etc.
 Wular lake is the largest freshwater lake in
India. It is a tectonic lake.
 Similarly, there are meteoroid lakes also. For
example – Lonar lake.
2. Oxbow lakes:-
 This type of lakes are formed due to turns
and twists in a river.
 A river having many turns and twists
sometimes faces erosional activities and
sediment deposition on the sides of its
meanders.
  In due course of time if the river leaves
one of its meanders and changes its way
then a loop cuts off from the river.
 It results in the formation of cut-off lakes.
 These lakes are known as oxbow lakes.
3. Lagoons:-
 Mostly lagoons are the salt water lakes as
they are connected with the ocean.
 Lagoons are a shallow body of water
separated from a larger body of water by
barriers such as islands, reefs or sediment
deposition.
 Example – Lake Chilika, Lake Pulicat, Lake
Kolleru.
4. In-land drainage lakes:-
 They are formed due to drainage or river
water.
 Example – Sambhar Lake.
 They are sometimes seasonal.
 Most of the time they are salt-water lakes.
  Apart from all these there are many lakes
formed by humans, these lakes are known as
Human-made lakes.

ROLE OF RIVERS IN OUR ECONOMY

 Rivers have been of fundamental importance

throughout the human history as a source of
natural resource.
 Humans have settled near the river banks since
ancient times. These settlements have now
become big cities.
 Can you name some of them?
 Importance of rivers:-
 Rivers are used for irrigation, navigation,
hydro-power generation.

RIVER POLLUTION

 We and our dependence of water.

 Water is required for variety of land.
 Domestic
 Municipal
 Industrial & Agricultural.
  Due to all this rivers are being drained out.
 Polluted by the heavy load of untreated sewage
and industrial effluents.
 This affects the quality of water as well as the
self-cleansing capacity.
 Concern over rising pollution in our rivers led to
the various launching of various plans to clean the
river.
 Do you know: National river conservation plan
[NCRP]
 Trough – Rift Valley.

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