Ganga River System: Origin, Drainage, Tributaries & More

The Ganga River System: The Ganga Originates from the Himalayan mountains and is super important for the people there. The melting snow from the Himalayas forms the basis of the river Ganga. Ganga flows through various states of India, covering some parts of Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Chattisgarh, and Haryana.

In this article, we will discuss the Ganga river system in detail. The Ganga River is of great significance to India’s economic perspective.

Overview of Ganga River System

Aspect	Details
Source	Gangotri Glacier, Uttarakhand
Length	Approximately 2,525 km (1,569 miles)
Drainage Area	About 1,086,000 sq km (419,300 sq miles)
Main Tributaries	Left Bank: Ramganga, Gomti, Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi Right Bank: Yamuna, Son
Major Cities	Haridwar, Kanpur, Allahabad (Prayagraj), Varanasi, Patna
Dams and Barrages	Tehri Dam, Farakka Barrage, Narora Barrage, Kanpur Barrage
Flora and Fauna	Home to the Ganges River Dolphin, Gharial, Freshwater turtles, and numerous fish and bird species
Cultural Significance	Considered sacred by Hindus; site of numerous religious ceremonies and festivals
Environmental Challenges	Pollution from industrial, agricultural, and domestic sources; riverbank erosion; habitat destruction

Ganga River System Map

Ganga River System Map

The Ganga River System

The Ganga River system is enormous worldwide and covers most of India. The soil near the Ganga River is fertile, helpful in agriculture, and supports big industries.

• The River Ganga represents the dendritic drainage pattern.
• The Ganga River is the home to many plants and animals.
• Most employment in India comes from the banks of the river Ganga.
• The largest delta was created when the river Ganga and the Brahmaputra met and is called the Sundarbans delta.
• Ganga flows south and east from the Himalayas, forming the canyon as it leaves the mountains.

What is the Ganga Drainage System?

The Ganga Drainage System includes the river Ganga and its many tributaries. It is one of the iconic and largest river systems in the world, extending over India, Bangladesh, and the boundaries of Nepal. Ganga River drains into the Bay of Bengal through the Sundarban Delta.

Bhagirathi

The Bhaigirathi river covers a big part of the River Ganga. The best features of it are listed below:

• In the 16th Century, when the Ganga river shifted its bed eastwards, Bhagirathi came into existence.
• The Bhagirathi covers upto 193 kilometres and then joins the Alaknanda in Devprayag.
• It covers an area upto 6,921 kilometers.
• Many other rivers add water to Bhagirathi, namely Kedar Ganga and Kakora Gad.
• Other Rivers that add water to Bhagirathi include Jalandhari Gad, Jadh Ganga, Asi Ganga, Siyan Gad, and Bhilangana river.

Alaknanda

The Alaknanda River originates when the two glaciers meet in Uttrakhand.

The following are the key features of the Alaknanada River:

• It travels upto 195 kilometres and joins Bhagirathi at Devprayag.
• The river covers an area upto 10,882 kilometers.
• When the river joins Bhagirathi at Devprayag, they become the Ganges river together.
• In Uttrakhand, there are five meeting points where the rivers join Alaknanada called the Panch Prayags.
• Saraswati, Pindar, Dhauliganga, and Nandini are the rivers that join from the left and the Mandakini River from the right.

Rishiganga:

The Rishiganga originates from the Nanda Devi Mountains, located in Uttrakhand, and goes through a national park where it meets Dhaulganga West at Raini near Chamoli.

Dhauliganga:

The Dhauliganga rises from the largest glacier, Raikana Glacier, Basudhara Lake in Uttrakhand. This Lake is way up in the mountains at 5,070 meters near Niti Pass in Chamoli district. As it flows down, many other rivers join it, finally meeting the river Alaknanda at the village called Vishnuprayag.

Tributaries of the Ganga River

Many streams join the river Ganga in different locations in different parts of India, called the tributaries of the river Ganga. They are further divided into the right bank and the left bank tributaries.

Right Bank Tributaries of River Ganga

The following table gives information about the right bank tributaries of the River Ganga:

Name of Right Tributaries	Description
Yamuna	The river Ganga has the largest tributary called Yamuna, which joins it on the right bank of it in Prayagraj. The tributaries of Yamuna are Hindon, Karen, Sagar, and Ring. The Yamuna originates from the Yamunotri glacier near Banderpoonch peaks in Mussoorie, Uttrakhand.
Karmanasa	It originates from the Kaimur range and makes the boundaries between Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The river means “destroyer of religious merit.” It is considered as the river of bad luck. People believe that their plans get destroyed if they come into the touch of this river.
Punpun	Punpun originates from the plateaus in Madhya Pradesh. The names Keekat and Bamghadi are also known as the Tributary of Ganga. The river has religious importance and is called “Punaah,” famous for Pind Daan. According to Hindu culture, the very first Pind Daan happened here.
Son	It is known as Swarn Nadi and originates from Amarkantak highlands located in the Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh, joining the Ganga near Patna river Rihand. The Son River has its further tributaries, namely the Auranga, the Amanat, and the Tahle.
Damodar River	The river is known as” the sorrow of Bengal” because of the floods in West Bengal. The river flows through the states of West Bengal and Jharkhand. The Damodar occupies the eastern margins of the Chotanagar plateau, where it flows through a rift valley and finally joins the river Hugli.
Falgu	It is considered a sacred river of Hindus and Buddhists. Lord Vishnus’s temple is situated on the banks of the Falgu River. It flows through Gaya, Bihar.
Kiul	This tributary of Ganga originates in Giridih in the state of Jharkhand and flows through the Lakhisarai, Sheikhpura, and Jamui districts of the state of Bihar. It is considered the symbol of natural beauty and cultural heritage of India. This river is famous for its temples on the river’s banks.
Chandan	The name of Champa identifies this river tributary. It flows in Munger, Bhagalpur, and Banka districts in Bihar. The river is called Champa because of the origin of the ancient city of Champa on its banks.
Ajay	This river flows through the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. The total length of the river is 288 km, out of which 152 km is in West Bengal The catchment area of the river is 6,000 square kilometres.
Rupnarayan	The source of this river is Dhaleswari in the Chhota Nagpur Plateau. The Ganga and Rupnarayan rivers meet at Noorpur, West Bengal. The length of the Rupnarayan River is 80 km.
Tamsa	It flows through the states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The river is also known as Tons. It forms many waterfalls in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh.

Left Bank Tributaries of River Ganga

The following table gives information about the left bank tributaries of the River Ganga:

Ramganga	The Ramgana originates near the regions of Nainital and joins the river Ganga. It also passes through the Corbett National Park. The further tributaries of Ramganga are Kho, Gangan, Aril, Kosi and Deoha. The cities alongside the Ramganga River are Moradabad, Bareilly, Badaun, Shajhanapur, and Hardoi of Uttar Pradesh.
Gomati River	The Gomati River starts in Pilibheet and meets the Ganga River near Gazhipur. It flows through Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand The major tributary of the Gomati River is the Sai River, which joins Gomti at Jaunpur. Other tributaries include Kathina, Bhainsi, Sarayan, Gon, Reth, Pili and Kalyani.
Ghargra River	It starts from the Mapcha Chung Glacier in Tibet. It is also called the Karnali River in Nepal. It is the central left bank and the largest tributary of the Ganges. It also flows through Nepal and merges with the river Sharda at Brahmaghat in India.
Kosi River	This river is famous for changing paths over time. It starts from Nepal, and its central part is also called Arun. The Kosi River drains the Himalayas’ northern slopes in Tibet and Nepal’s southern slopes. The ancient names of the river kosi are Kausiki and Sapt Koshi, which are also mentioned in Mahabharata. It has seven tributaries, namely the Indrawati, the Sun Koshi, the Tama Koshi, the Likhu, the Dudh Koshi, the Arun, and the Tamor.
Mahananda River	It is the last tributary of the river Ganga and is found in Darjeeling. It meets the Ganga River at Godagiri in the Nawabganj district in Bangladesh. The tributaries are Balason, Mechi, Kankai, and River Kalindri.
Burhi Gandak River	It Flows parallel to and east of the Gandak River in an old Channel in Bihar. The length of the River is 320 km. The tributaries of this river include Mason, Balor, Pandai, Sikta, Tilawe, Tiur, Dhanauti, Kohra, Anjankote, Danda and Lauriya.
Gandak River	It is also known as the river Narayani. The river flows through Bihar and Uttar Pradesh states and joins Ganga near Patna just downstream of Hajipur.

Schemes Related to Clean The Ganga River

The scehmes to take care of the largest river, the Ganga, continues as follows:

Ganga Action Plan

The action plan started in 1985 to take care of the cleanliness of the river water.

The National Mission for Clean Ganga:

This scheme was approved in 2014 to provide people with clean river water.

Namami Gange Programme

It was also approved in 2014 to refresh the water of the Ganga River.

National Ganga River Basin Project

It has funds from the World Bank to improve the quality of the Ganga River and support communities in certain states.

Jal Marg Vikas Project

The scheme focuses on creating a path over the river for transportation purposes.

Conclusion

The river Ganga is considered the Goddess in Hindu culture. The River Ganga provides enormous benefits to its Indian population. Hindus believe the Ganga River water purifies us. It is important to Indian citizens to provide them with employment. Beautiful cities like Haridwar and Rishikesh are located near the banks of the River Ganga.

There are various ongoing schemes to take responsibility for the cleanliness of the Ganga River. River Ganga is also important from a tourism point of view. Multiple temples are situated near the banks of the Ganga, attracting people worldwide.

The Ganga River System FAQs

Which is the longest river network in India?

The Ganga River is the largest and longest river network in India.

What type of drainage pattern does the river Ganga follow?

It follows the dendritic drainage pattern.

What Pollutes the Ganga River?

Industrial waste, sewage waste, Residues of dead bodies, and agricultural waste pollute the river Ganga.

Which city in India has the most polluted Ganga water?

Kanpur is the city where most of the polluted water of the river Ganga flows.

From where does the word Ganges come from?

The Ganges is the Greek word. Many Westernized words for indian names come from Greek words.