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Distinguish Between Himalayan Rivers and Peninsular Rivers

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India has a great geographical extent from the snowy Himalayan Ranges in the north to the Indian Ocean in the south. The country is blessed to have a vast and varying River System which not only provides it with natural resources but also contributes to the economy of the country. The River System supports a plethora of biodiversity and adds to the geographical richness of the country. S.P. Dasgupta estimated that the yearly supply of water in the country’s Rivers is about 1,858,100 million cubic meters. The Brahmaputra is the largest contributor in terms of volume to this supply.  

Depending upon the origin of the Indian River System, it may be classified into:

  • Himalayan River System
  • Peninsular River System

The Himalayan River System:

The Himalayan River System consists of three Rivers and their tributaries that is the Indus, the Ganga, and the Brahmaputra. It is believed that the Rivers of the Himalayan System existed even before the upliftment of the Himalayas as the gorges of the Rivers reveal the presence of the Rivers even before the formation of the mountains themselves. The Himalayan River System shows antecedent drainage landforms, V-shaped valleys, rapids, and waterfalls near the origin. When they enter the plains, they produce flat valleys, floodplains, oxbow lakes, and braided channels.  

Two Theories are Enunciating the Evolution of Himalayan Rivers:  

  1. The Indo-Brahmo or Shiwalik River Theory was given by scientists like E.H. Pascoe, M.S.Krishnan, etc. who believe that Indus and Brahmaputra that exist today are disconnected parts of the hypothetical river called Indo-Brahma or Shiwalik.
  2. Multiple River Theory – It’s an alternative explanation about the evolution of the Rivers where the present Himalayan River System is a product of multiple events of upheaval during the Eocene epoch.

The word Indus in Sanskrit means Sindhu, this River System along with its tributaries that is Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej forms one of the largest River Systems in the world. The River is also credited for giving India its name and also supported one of the oldest civilizations that is the Indus Valley Civilization.  

The tributaries of the Ganga are Yamuna, Chambal, Son, Damodar, Ram Ganga, Ghaghara, Kali Gandak, Budhi gandak. The extent of this River System is the middle part of the Himalayas in the north northern part of Indian plateau in the south and the vast plain of Ganga in between them.  

Brahmaputra which means ‘the son of Brahma’, originates from the Chemayungdung Glacier present in the Kailash range of Himalayas. It passes through Tibet (Tsangpo), India (Brahmaputra) and Bangladesh.

Major Characteristics of Himalayan Rivers:

1. Basins: The Himalayan River Systems constitute the larger basin and the catchment. Indus River has a total basin area of 11.78 lakh square km. The Ganga River has a total basin area of 8.61 lakh square km and the Brahmaputra River has a total of 5.8 lakh square km basin area.  

2. Valleys: The Rivers of the Himalayan System form I-shaped gorges formed by down cutting during the upliftment of Himalayas.

3. Water flow: The River System is perennial (flows throughout the year) and the source of water in the rivers is monsoon rains and the glaciers. The presence of water throughout the year makes these rivers useful in irrigation.  

4. Stage: They are considered to be flowing in their youth (early stage) as they flow through young fold mountains (the Himalayas are considered to be young fold mountains).

5. Meanders: Near their origin, these Rivers are highly turbulent. As they enter the plains they show heavy meandering and shift their courses frequently as the speed of flow of water in these rivers is reduced. The Brahmaputra meanders the most during its course through Assam which often causes flooding.

6. Deltas: This River System forms big deltas (a flat triangle-shaped area where the River divides into smaller channels before entering into the sea) in the mature stage near their mouth. Ganga- Brahmaputra delta is one of the finest examples of depositional landform and is also the largest delta in the world.  

The Peninsular River System:

The Rivers originating from Peninsular Plateau are called Peninsular Rivers. They are believed to be older than the Himalayan River Systems as they are in the mature stage and have caused heavy levels of erosion throughout their basin. The valleys of these rivers are shallow and broad.  

The direction of flow of water of Peninsular River System can be divided into three main directions:  

  • The Godavari the Mahanadi Krishna and Kaveri floor eastwards and drain in the Bay of Bengal.  
  • Tapi and Narmada flow westwards in the Arabian Sea.
  • Chambal, Betwa, Ken, Son and Damodar flow in the North-Eastern direction.

Major Characteristics of Peninsular Rivers:

1. Basins: As compared to the Himalayan Rivers, the Peninsular River System has smaller basins and catchment areas. The largest basin of the Peninsular River System is of Godavari River (3.12 lakh square km).

2. Valleys: The valleys of this River System are almost shallow and are completely graded. The beds of the Rivers are almost subdued gradient though a limited area of the River bed has a steep gradient. The mature drainage of the River System is the result of senile topography. This river system is an example of consequent drainage.

3. Water Flow: These River Systems are called seasonal Rivers or non-perennial Rivers as they receive water only from rainfall in the rainy season which makes the Rivers less useful for irrigation. However, Kaveri receives water from South West as well as North-East Monsoon which makes it essentially a perennial river in the peninsular system.

4. Stage: The Rivers have reached their mature stage as they have been flowing through one of the oldest plateaus of the world.

5. Meanders: The River System does not meander a lot from their course due to the presence of hard rock surface and their Non-Alluvial character. Instead of forming meanders, they flow through straight courses.  

6. Deltas: The Peninsular River Systems form deltas as well estuaries. Rivers such as Tapi and Narmada form estuaries which drain into the Arabian Sea whereas other rivers of the Peninsula like Krishna, Kaveri, Godavari and Mahanadi form deltas which merge with the Bay of Bengal.  

River System in India drains a vast area of its land which makes its economic, geographic and social use possible. These rivers have several large cities situated on their banks like Delhi, Agra, Hyderabad, Nagpur, etc. Their navigable nature helps in logistics and transportation. Their estuaries and Deltas have supported ports and related infrastructure which has facilitated trade. Though different from each other both the river systems provide similar benefits in terms of their economic and social importance.  


Last Updated : 02 Feb, 2022
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