Indian Rivers

Brahmaputra River System Godavari River

Indus River System Krishna River

Ganga River System Kaveri River

Narmada & Tapti River

Mahanadi River
 Brahmaputra River System

Origin - Chemayungdung Glacier

near Mansarovar lake (Kailash Range, Tibet)

Discharge – Bay of Bengal

Turns southward near Namcha – Barwa

( U Turn )
Flows Through Tibet ( China) ,
India, Bangladesh, and

Total length - 2880 km, and 1625 km of

it lies in the Tibet region, and It flows
for 916 kilometres in India.
Region Name

Tibet Tsangpo (meaning ‘The Purifier’)

Yarlung Zangbo Jiangin

China
Dihang or Siang
Arunanchal Pradesh
Jamuna River
Bangladesh
Padma River: Combined Waters of Ganga and
Bangladesh Brahmaputra
Bangladesh Meghana: From the confluence of Padma and Meghna
Brahmaputra River tributaries
S.No Left Bank Tributaries Right Bank Tributaries
1 Siang river Subansiri river
2 Dibang river Kameng river
3 Lohit river Manas river
4 Burhi Dihing river Sankosh river
5 Dhansiri river Raidak river
6 Kopili river Jaldhaka river
7 ---- Teesta river
Assam’s Majuli as the largest
river island in the world.

It has become first island

district of India.
 Indus River System
It originates from Bokharchu Glacier in the
Tibetan region in the Kailash Mountain
range near the Mansarovar Lake (Tibet)

Enters In India through Ladakh

Flows through Pakistan , then finally Discharges in

Arabian Sea

Flows approx. ( 709 / 2880 ) Km in India

Left and Right bank tributaries

Right-bank tributaries

Shyok River, Gilgit river, Hunza river, Swat

river, Kunnar river, Kurram river, Gomal River,
and Kabul river

Left-bank tributaries

Zaskar river, Suru river, Soan river, Jhelum

River, Chenab River, Ravi River, Beas river,
Satluj river, Panjnad river
Just above Mithankot, the Indus receives
from Panjnad (Panchnad), the
accumulated waters of the five eastern
tributaries—the Jhelum, the Chenab, the
Ravi, the Beas, and the Satluj.
 Important tributaries

• Origin - Bara Lacha Pass (Himachal)

• Known as chandra-bhaga in Himachal

Chenab • Largest tributary of Indus

•Famous Projects - Duhasti, Baglihar &

Salal hydroelectric project
 Origin → Verinag Spring (Kashmir)

Tributary of Chenab

Jhelum Tulbul project

 •Origin → Kullu hills near Rohtang
Pass (Himachal)

Ravi • Tributary of Chenab

• Smallest of 5 rivers
 •Origin → Beas kund near Rohtang
Pass, Himachal

• Tributary of Satluj

Beas • Only river flowing entirely in India

• Meet Satluj near Harike (Punjab)

• Famous Project - Pong Dam

 •Origin - Rakas lake, Tibet, near
Mansarovar

• Enter Himachal at Shipki La Pass

•Collects water from Ravi, Chenab,

Sutluj Jhelum & Beas to join Indus near
Mithalkot (Pak)

•Famous Projects - Naptha Jhakri

Project & Bhakra Nagal Dam with Govind
Sagar Reservoir
Indus Waters Treaty 1960
1) India got control over the
three eastern rivers, which are:

Ravi
Beas
Sutlej

2) Pakistan got control over the

three western rivers, which are:

Indus
Chenab
Jhelum
The treaty gives India 20% of the
water from the Indus River System
and the rest 80% to Pakistan.

The IWT was signed by the then

Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal
Nehru and the then Pakistani
President Ayub Khan ( World Bank )
 Ganga River System
The Ganga originates as Bhagirathi from the Gangotri
glacier near Gaumukh in Uttar Kashi District of
Uttarakhand at an elevation of 7,010 m.

Alaknanda River joins Bhagirathi at Devaprayag ( U.K )

From Devapryag the river is called as Ganga.

Length – 2525 KM
 Panch Prayag
North to South
1) Vishnuprayag = Alaknanda + Dhauli Ganga

2) Nandprayag = Alaknanda + Nandakini

3) Karnaprayag = Alaknanda + Pindar River

4) Rudraprayag = Alaknanda + Mandakini

5) Devprayag = Alaknanda + Bhagirathi

It flows through India and Bangladesh and then reaches
Bay Of Bengal ( Near Sagar Island)

The Ganga river mainly passes through the states of

Uttarakhand ,Uttar Pradesh ,Bihar , Jharkhand, and
West Bengal.
Then it goes across the Indian border into Bangladesh
where it merges with the Brahmaputra & Forms
largest delta of the world - Ganga–Brahmaputra Delta.
 Major Tributaries of the Ganga River

Left Tributaries
1. Ramganga – Flows through Corbett National Park.
Bareilly city

2.Gomti - Lucknow, Lakhimpur Kheri , Jaunpur

3.Ghaghara

Ayodhya, a city in Uttar Pradesh is situated on the

banks of the River Sarayu. It is a tributary of River
Ghaghara
4. Gandak

5. Kosi - ‘Sorrow of Bihar’.

6. Mahananda
 Right Tributaries
1.Yamuna ( Largest Tributary Of Ganga ) -
Chambal , Sind , Betwa , Ken , Tons ( Largest
Tributary Of Yamuna)

Origin - Yamunotri glacier in the Himalayas

Merges with River Ganga at at Triveni

Sangam, Prayagraj (U.P)

Delhi, Agra, Mathura, Allahabad are

important cities on its banks.

2. Son
 Farakka Barrage is the Easternmost Point Of Ganga in India ( W.B)

At Farraka, it bifurcates into

1) Bhagirathi-Hugli ( Distributary) in West Bengal -

Flow Into Bay Of Bengal

Note - Damodar river joins the Hugli River . Damodar River

Known As Sorrow Of Bengal. Damador Valley is Known as
“The Ruhr of India”.

2) Ganga in Bangladesh = Padma . Then Further Joins

Brahmaputra

Padma + Brahmaputra = Known as Meghna

 Major Cities located on the river Ganga
1. Haridwar

2. Kanpur

3. Prayagraj

4. Varanasi - Also called Banaras or Kashi.

5. Patna

6. Rishikesh
 Godavari River
Originates from - Trimbakeshwar, near Nasik in
Maharashtra.

Drains into – Bay of Bengal

Length – 1465 KM

Godavari river is known as the Ganga of South

India or ' Dakshin Ganga'
Passes
Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh
Left Bank Tributaries: Dharna, Penganga,
Wainganga, Wardha, Pranahita , Pench,
Kanhan, Sabari, Indravati etc.

Right Bank Tributaries: Pravara, Mula,

Manjra, Peddavagu, Maner etc.
Kumbh Mela also takes place on
the banks of the Godavari river in
Nashik.

Other locations for Kumbh are

Ujjain, Haridwar, and Prayagraj.
 Important Projects Under Godavari River
Polavaram Irrigation Project (Andhra Pradesh)

Sriram Sagar Project ( Telangana)

Nizam Sagar (Hyderabad - Telangana)

Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project ( Telangana)

Note - Hyderabad is located on the Musi River

(Tributory Of Krishna)
 Krishna River
Originates from - Mahabaleshwar in
Maharashtra

Length Around 1300km

•Andhra Pradesh
•Telangana
Flows through •Maharashtra
•Karnataka

Drains into Bay of Bengal (Andhra Pradesh)

 Tributaries

Left Bank Right Bank

The Bhima The Ghataprabha
The Musi The Malaprabha
The Munneru The Tungabhadra
The Paleru The Koyna

Longest tributary - The Bhima (861 KM)

 Dams on Krishna
1) Nagarjunasagar Dam ( AP & Telangana )

2) Srisailam Dam ( AP & Telangana )

3) Almatti Dam (Karnataka )

4) Tungabhadra Dam (Karnataka )

 Important Cities on Krishna

1) Vijayawada (Largest city on Krishna),

2) Amaravati

3) Hampi, Kurnool is situated on the banks of

the Tungabhadra River.
Tiger Reserves
Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve (AP & Telangana)
 Kaveri River

• Talakaveri located in the Western Ghats

Origin •Talakaveri is located in Bramahagiri Hills

near Madikeri in Kodagu district of
Karnataka

Kaveri, also referred as Ponni

Talakaveri
Length 765 kilometre (East Flowing River)
• Karnataka
• Tamilnadu
Flows through
• Kerala
• Pondicherry

Drains into Bay of Bengal

 Tributaries of the Cauvery River

Left Bank Right Bank

The Harangi The Lakshmantirtha
The Hemavati The Kabini
The Shimsha The Suvarnavati, The Bhavani
The Arkavati The Amaravati and The Noyil
 Dams on kaveri

Krishna Raja Sagara Dam ( Kaveri ) - Karnataka Harangi Dam -Karnataka

Kallanai (Kaveri ) /Grand Anicut – T.N Kabini Dam - Karnataka

Mettur Dam - Kaveri – T.N Amaravati Dam –T.N

 Falls on Kaveri

1)Sivasamudram Waterfalls (also

Known as Shivanasamudra Falls) -
Karnataka
 National parks on Kaveri

The Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary -

Karnataka

Mudumalai National Park – T.N

 Narmada River
Originates - Amarkantak Hill in Madhya
Pradesh state.

Drains – Arabian Sea in the Bharuch district

of Gujarat.

The tributaries of Narmada River are Kolar

River, Shakkar River, Dudhi River, Tawa
River, and Hiran River.
Only the Narmada, the Tapti, and the
Mahi rivers run from east to west.

Flows through the states of MP, Gujarat,

and Maharashtra.

Major Hydro Power Project - Maheshwar

Dam, Sardar Sarovar Dam, and Indira
Gandhi Sagar Dam.
 Tapti River

Originates – Satpura Range of southern

Madhya Pradesh .

Discharge – Gulf of Cambay of the

Arabian Sea.

Tributaries – Waghur River, Aner River,

Girna River, Purna River, Panzara River
and Bori River.
 Mahanadi River

Originate - Highlands of the state of Chhattisgarh.

River flows through the states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha.

River Ends in Bay of Bengal (900 km)

The tributaries of the Mahanadi River are Mand, Seonath, Ib, Hasdeo, Jonk,
Tel, and Ong.

Hirakud Dam
 Important City Lies on Mahanadi River

1) Raipur

2) Cuttack

3) Sambalpur

Note - Paradeep Port

(located on the delta of
Mahanadi river)
Top 10 longest rivers in India
Length in
Sr. No. River Total Length
India (km)
(km)
1. Ganga 2525 2525
2. Godavari 1464 1465
3. Krishna 1400 1400
4. Yamuna 1376 1376
5. Narmada 1312 1312
6. Indus 1114 3180
7. Brahmaputra 916 2900
8. Mahanadi 890 890
9. Kaveri 800 800
10. Tapti 724 724