Paper I · 4 Geography of India & AP · APPSC Paper I
4.2.3 Drainage systems notes
12 notes, in reading order.
- 4.2.3.1Drainage patterns and Himalayan and peninsular rivers compared
India's rivers fall into two families: the young, snow-fed, perennial Himalayan rivers and the older, rain-fed, mostly seasonal rivers of the Peninsula, and most of the country's water drains east to the Bay of Bengal.
Standard · 6 min · Full course - 4.2.3.2Indus river system: Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej
The Indus rises in Tibet, flows north-west through Ladakh and Pakistan to the Arabian Sea, and is joined by five Punjab rivers: Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.
Standard · 5 min · Full course - 4.2.3.3Ganga main stem and its Himalayan tributaries
The Ganga forms where the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda meet at Devprayag, enters the plains at Haridwar, and is fed by Himalayan tributaries from both banks and Peninsular tributaries from the south.
Standard · 5 min · Full course - 4.2.3.4Ganga's peninsular tributaries: Chambal, Betwa, Ken and Son
The Chambal, Betwa and Ken reach the Ganga through the Yamuna, the Son joins the Ganga directly, and the Damodar joins the Hooghly; all rise on the northern edge of the Peninsula.
Standard · 4 min · Full course - 4.2.3.5Brahmaputra river system
The Brahmaputra rises near Mansarovar as the Tsangpo, cuts a deep gorge at the Namcha Barwa bend, enters India as the Siang or Dihang, and flows through Assam as a wide, braided and flood-prone river.
Standard · 4 min · Full course - 4.2.3.6Mahanadi and other east-flowing rivers of the north peninsula
The Mahanadi, Brahmani, Baitarani and Subarnarekha drain Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand into the Bay of Bengal, while the Rushikulya, Vamsadhara and Nagavali run through the Eastern Ghats to the north Andhra coast.
Standard · 4 min · Full course - 4.2.3.7Godavari and Krishna river systems
The Godavari is the longest Peninsular river and the Krishna the second largest east-flowing one; between them they water most of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and form two adjoining deltas.
Standard · 5 min · Full course - 4.2.3.8Kaveri, Pennar and other southern east-flowing rivers
The Kaveri is the main river of the far south and, with rain from both monsoons, flows all year; the Pennar is the main river of the Rayalaseema dry zone; shorter rivers such as the Palar, Ponnaiyar, Vaigai and Thamirabarani drain Tamil Nadu.
Standard · 5 min · Full course - 4.2.3.9West-flowing rivers: Narmada, Tapi, Sabarmati, Mahi and Western Ghats rivers
The Narmada and Tapi flow west in rift valleys, the Sabarmati, Mahi and Luni drain western India, and hundreds of short, fast Western Ghats streams reach the Arabian Sea through estuaries rather than deltas.
Standard · 4 min · Full course - 4.2.3.10Lakes and waterfalls of India
India's lakes are tectonic, glacial, oxbow, lagoon, crater, saline and man-made types, and its highest waterfalls lie on the short, steep rivers of the Western Ghats and the Meghalaya plateau.
Standard · 5 min · Full course - 4.2.3.11Major dams and multipurpose river valley projects
Multipurpose projects after 1947 used one dam for irrigation, power, flood control and supply; this note is a table of the dams that exams ask, matched to river and state.
Standard · 4 min · Full course - 4.2.3.12River interlinking and interstate water disputes: NPP, Ken–Betwa and tribunals
The National Perspective Plan proposes transferring water from surplus to deficit basins by link canals, and Article 262 with the 1956 Act provides tribunals to settle disputes over interstate rivers.
Standard · 5 min · Full course
Practise Drainage systems. Questions with answers explained, from the same topics.
Medha AI is an independent preparation service. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to APPSC, TSPSC, MPSC, UPSC or any other commission or government body.