What is meant by a Water Divide?

An area that is elevated or is an upland, like the mountains, a hill, plateau, terrain, or any other land area, which is higher than the land in the area surrounding, is separated into two water basins and divides the basin into two portions, is known as water divide. Water divide is known by various names like watersheds, ridgelines, and land elevations. On rugged lands, the splits are along the ridges of the terrain and can take the form of a single chain of hills or mountains known as dividing ranges or split chains. Separations can be difficult to see on flat terrain, especially if the ground is wetlands.

Water Divide

Importance of Water Divide

The importance of the water divide is as follows:

• These divisions can occur due to the valleys, and districts that cause tribes and groups of people to settle in banks. For example – Ambala city is located between the Indus River and the Ganga River.
• The importance of the basin is as follows: It forms a boundary between the two valleys. Precipitation is received separately from both valleys. This prevents the two bodies of water from interfering with each other and flowing separately.
• Sometimes water divide can form natural boundaries that can be defined as political boundaries between two countries or two cities of a particular country.

Types of Water Divide

Different types of water divide are characterized on the basis that how the water divide converges. 

1. Continental Water Divide: Continental divide, is a division of water where water flows into different seas on both sides of it. Example – Congo-Nile divide.
2. Major Water Divide: The major divide is that in which the water on either side never meets, but instead converges on the same sea. Example – Yellow river basin and the Yangtze.
3.  Minor Water Divide: Minor divides are where the water eventually flows into the confluence of rivers on both sides. Example – Mississippi River and Missouri drainage Divide.

Related Links

1. Conservation of Water Resources
2. Multi-purpose river projects
3. Water becomes a Renewable Resource
4. Importance of Water conservation

FAQs on Water Divide

Q 1. What is meant by a water divide?

Answer-

Water divide also known as drainage divide, is any high land region which divides drainage basins into two halves.

Q 2. What is an example of water divide?

Answer-

An example of a water divide would include western ghats which divide the drainage basin of rivers like Narmada and Tapi.

Q 3. What is the main water divide?

Answer-

The main water divide in India is often referred to as the water divide between Indus and the Ganga river systems.