drainage

Drainage
 Drainage Systems in India
 Flow of water from a higher to a lower level is called drainage. It also refers to the river system of any particular area.
 The Indian River system is divided into two groups- the Himalayan Rivers and the
Peninsular Rivers.
 The Himalayan Rivers
 They have water all throughout the year and originate from the mountains in the north. They flow through the mountains and form gorges.
 Himalayan rivers cover long routes before falling into the sea.
 Erosion activities in the upper courses. Hence, they bring loads of sand and silt on their way down and deposit it in the lower courses.
 In the middle and lower courses, these rivers form meanders, oxbow lakes and deltas.
The Peninsular Rivers
 Seasonal rivers i.e. they depends on rainfall.
 They have short courses as compared to the Himalayan Rivers.
 They flow through the plateaus and low hills and hence, they are not as fast flowing as the Himalayan rivers.
 The Himalayan Rivers
 The Indus River System
 Originates from Lake Mansarovar in Tibet and enters India through Ladakh in
Jammu and Kashmir.
 The Zaskar, the Nubhra, the Shyok and the Hunza join the Indus in Kashmir.
 The Satluj, the Ravi, the Chenab, the Beas and the Jhelum together join Indus at
Mithankot in Pakistan. Indus merges with the Arabian Sea near Karachi in
Pakistan.
 Length is 2900 km. It is one of the longest rivers in the world.
 The Ganga River System
 The Ganga originates from the Gangotri Glacier in Uttarakhand in the form of
Bhagirathi river.
 The Bhagirathi and the Alaknanda rivers join together at Devprayag and form the Ganga river.

 The Ganga enters the plains at Haridwar in Uttarakhand.
 Major tributaries of the Ganga are the Yamuna, the Ghaghara, the Gandak and the Kosi.
 The Yamuna originates from the Yamunotri Glacier in the Himalayas and joins
Ganga at Allahabad.
 The Kosi, the Ghaghara and the Gandak originate from the Nepal Himalayas.