Geography
Drainage System of India
GS Paper I
Drainage System of India — Quick Revision
One-page UPSC revision of Indian rivers: sources, confluences, tributaries by bank, Peninsular rivers, drainage patterns and the Indus Waters Treaty.
SyllabusGS I · Geographical features and their location — changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps); physical geography of India
A last-week revision sheet for rivers. Prelims loves sources, confluences and the bank on which a tributary joins.
Himalayan Rivers at a Glance
| River | Source | Key fact |
|---|---|---|
| Indus | Near Bokhar Chu, close to Mansarovar | Enters India in Ladakh; 2,880 km, 1,114 km in India (NCERT) |
| Jhelum | Verinag spring | Through Srinagar and Wular Lake |
| Chenab | Chandra + Bhaga at Tandi | Largest tributary of the Indus |
| Ravi | Near Rohtang pass, Kullu hills | Chamba valley |
| Beas | Beas Kund, near Rohtang pass | Joins the Satluj at Harike |
| Satluj | Rakas Lake | Enters India near Shipki La; Bhakra–Nangal |
| Ganga | Bhagirathi + Alaknanda at Devprayag | 2,525 km; national river (2008) |
| Yamuna | Yamunotri glacier, Banderpunch range | Joins the Ganga at Prayagraj |
| Brahmaputra | Chemayungdung glacier, Kailash range | Tsangpo → Siang/Dihang → Brahmaputra → Jamuna |
Ganga Tributaries by Bank
| Right bank (from the south) | Left bank (from the Himalayas) |
|---|---|
| Yamuna, Son, Damodar (via the Hugli) | Ramganga, Gomti, Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi, Mahananda |
Yamuna’s own right-bank tributaries: Chambal, Sind, Betwa, Ken.
Peninsular Rivers at a Glance
| River | Source | Flows into | Key fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mahanadi | Near Sihawa, Chhattisgarh | Bay of Bengal | Hirakud dam |
| Godavari | Nasik, Maharashtra | Bay of Bengal | Largest Peninsular system; Dakshin Ganga |
| Krishna | Near Mahabaleshwar | Bay of Bengal | Koyna, Tungabhadra, Bhima |
| Kaveri | Brahmagiri hills, Kodagu | Bay of Bengal | Both monsoons; even flow |
| Narmada | Amarkantak | Arabian Sea | Rift valley; estuary; Dhuandhar falls |
| Tapi | Multai, Betul | Arabian Sea | Rift valley; estuary |
| Luni | Near Pushkar | Rann of Kachchh | Inland drainage |
Drainage Patterns
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Dendritic | Northern Plains |
| Radial | Amarkantak |
| Centripetal | Loktak Lake |
| Trellis | Alternating hard and soft rock bands |
High-yield facts
- Panch Prayag (upstream to downstream): Vishnu, Nand, Karna, Rudra, Dev.
- Indus Waters Treaty, 1960: Ravi, Beas, Satluj to India; Indus, Jhelum, Chenab to Pakistan.
- Majuli (Brahmaputra) — India’s first island district (2016).
- National Perspective Plan (1980): 30 links — 14 Himalayan, 16 Peninsular; Ken–Betwa is the first link taken up.
- Kosi — “sorrow of Bihar”; Damodar — once the “sorrow of Bengal”.
Common Traps
Watch for these
- West-flowing Narmada and Tapi form estuaries, not deltas.
- Banks are named facing downstream — the Yamuna and Son are right-bank tributaries of the Ganga.
- The Godavari is the largest Peninsular river but flows into the Bay of Bengal.
- The Satluj rises in Rakas Lake, not in Mansarovar.
Related Topics
- Himalayan and Peninsular River Systems
- Drainage System of India — practice questions
- Physiography of India
- All quick revision sheets
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