Rivers in India

The rivers play important role in the economic development of any country. In India, rivers play an important role in irrigation, transportation, fishing. Due to this, the rivers in India are tightly bound to Indian tradition and culture. Since ancient times, rivers are worshipped as God/Goddess since they are considered very sacred. India has a rich resource of rivers and in almost every part of India, there is a nearby river.

Classification of Rivers of India

1. Perennial and Non- Perennial River: If a river is originating from mountains or they get water throughout the year then they are considered as Perennial River. On the other hand, rivers originating from plateau region are called as Non- Perennial Rivers. Non- Perennial Rivers do not have enough waters for the whole year. Perennial rivers of India includes Ganga, Yamuna, Indus, Brahmaputra, Narmada, Mahanadi, Tapti, Ghagra(Saraswati), Sutlej and Thamiraparani(only perennial river from the south).
2. (Peninsular Rivers ) East flowing & West Flowing Rivers: The Peninsular Rivers originate in the Western Ghats. They have a large seasonal fluc­tuation in volume as they are solely fed from rain­fall. These rivers flow in valleys with steep gradi­ents. Major rivers of the Peninsula such as Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery flow eastwards on the plateau and drain into the Bay of Bengal. The rivers which end in the Bay of Bengal are called “East flowing” rivers. If the river empties into the Arabian Sea, it is called “West Flowing” rivers. In India, all major rivers are “east-flowing” rivers. The west flowing rivers of India includes Narmada River, Tapti River, Mahi River and Sabarmati River.
3. Inland Drainage River: The river which does not empty itself into any sea, and ends with any lake or any other water body is known as Inland Drainage River. The best example of Inland Drainage River in India is Luni River which does not fall into the Arabian Sea but ends up in Rann of Kutch.
4. On the basis of their origin.
   1. The Himalayan mountain range.
   2. From Satpura and Vindhya range.
   3. From Western Ghats region.
   4. The Indus River System

List of Major Rivers in India

Sl. No.	River	Length (km)	Origin	End
1.	Indus	2,900	Originates in Tibetan plateau, Enters India in J&K	Merges into Arabian sea near Sindh
2.	Brahmaputra	2,900	Himalayan Glacier in Tibet, but enters India in Arunachal Pradesh	Merges with Ganga and ends in the Bay of Bengal
3.	Ganga	2,510	Gangotri Glacier (Bhagirathi), Uttarakhand	Bay of Bengal
4.	Godavari	1,450	Starts in Maharashtra and passes through 7 Indian states	Empties in the Bay of Bengal
5.	Narmada	1,290	Starts from Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh	Drains into Arabian sea via Gulf of Cambay
6.	Krishna	1,290	Originates in the Western Ghats near Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra	Ends in the Bay of Bengal near Andhra Pradesh
7.	Mahanadi	890	Originates from Dhamtri, Chhattisgarh	Ends in the Bay of Bengal in Odisha
8.	Kaveri	760	Talakaveri in the Western Ghats in Karnataka	Ends in the Bay of Bengal

State-Wise Rivers

State-Wise details of Rivers Covered

Peninsular Rivers India – Flowing East to West

Rivers	Length (KM)	Details
Luni		Also known as the Sagarmati Rises from the western slopes of the Aravalli Range near Ajmer Ends in the marshy lands of Rann of Kutch in Gujarat
Sabarmati		Rises from Dhebar lake in Aravalli Range of the Udaipur (Rajasthan) Ends in the Arabian Sea via Estuary
Mahi		Rises from Vindhya range (MP) Drains in Gulf of Cambay
Narmada		Origin: Amarkantak, Shahdol, MP Ends: The Arabian Sea via Estuary Flow Route: MP – Bharuch (Gujrat) – Gulf of Khambat (Gujrat) – The Arabian Sea via Estuary Famous projects: S →Sardar Sarovar Dam, Maheshwar Dam, Indira Gandhi Sagar Dam Important Facts: Longest among all east to west flowing rivers Known as Lifeline of MP Forms Duandhar falls at Jabalpur Only tributary → Hiran River Aliabet is the Largest Island in Estuary
Tawa		Rises in the Satpura Range of Betul (MP) Narmada’s longest tributary
Tapi		Origin: Mahadev hills, Satpura range, Betul district, MP Flow Route: MP – Maharashtra – Gulf of Khambat or Cambay – Arabian Sea via Estuary Famous projects: Kakrapar Dam & Ukai Dam
Periyar		Rises from Western Ghats in Kerala Flows towards west & drains in Arabian Sea via an estuary

Peninsular Rivers India – Flowing West to East

Rivers	Length (KM)	Details
Mahanadi		Origin: Dandakaranya Hills, Raipur Flow Route: Chhattisgarh – Orissa – EGs – BOB Famous Project: Hirakund Dam
Godavari		Origin: Triambakeshwar Plateau, Nashik, WGs – Largest Peninsular River – Known as Dakshina / Vriddha Ganga Flow Route: Nashik – Andhra Pradesh – BOB Famous Tributaries: Penganga, Sabri, Wardha & Indravati Famous Projects: Poochampad, Jayakwadi, Polavaram
Penganga		Rises from Ajanta hills (Maharashtra) a tributary of River Wardha which finally merges into Godavari
Krishna		Origin → Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra, WGs Flow Route: Maharashtra → Andhra Pradesh → BOB Famous Projects → Koyna, Tugrabhdra, Srisailam & Nagarjuna Sagar Dam
Tungabhadra		a major tributary of Krishna Rises from the Western Ghats
Bhima		Rises from Balaghat range (Maharashtra) Tributary of Krishna
Kaveri		Origin → Brahamgiri hills, Karnataka, WGs Flow Route: Karnataka → Kaveripatnam (TN) →BOB Perrenial River Forms Shivasundaram Waterfalls Famous projects → Krishnaraja Sagar & Mettur
Penner		Rises from Karnataka Flows b/w Krishna & Kaveri Drains into BOB
Vaigai		Rises from Palni hills (TN) A seasonal river flows through TN Drains in Gulf of Mannar

The Ganga River System

The Ganga River System includes the following rivers (10 major rivers plus Damodar river and Hugli river):

Rivers	Length (KM)	Origin	End
Ganga	2,525	Gangotri Glacier (Bhagirathi), Uttarakhand	Bay of Bengal
Yamuna	1,376	Yamunotri Glacier, Uttarakhand	Merges with Ganga at Allahabad (Triveni Sangam – Kumbh Mela spot
Brahmaputra	1,800	Himalayan Glacier in Tibet, but enters India in Arunachal Pradesh	Merges with Ganga and ends in Bay of Bengal
Chambal	960	Tributary of Yamuna river, starting at Madhya Pradesh	Joins Yamuna river in UP
Son	784	Tributary of Ganga, starting at Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh	Joins Ganga just above Patna – also considered part of Vindhya river system
Gandak	630	Nepal; Ganges tributary at Indo-Nepal border (Triveni Sangam)	Joins Ganga near Patna
Kosi	720	Starts from Bihar near Indo-Nepal border	Joins Ganga near Katihar district of Bihar
Betwa	590	Tributary of Yamuna, rises at Vindhya region, MP	Joins Yamuna at Hamirpur in UP
Gomti	900	Tributary of Ganga, starting at Gomat Taal, UP	Joins Ganga in Varanasi district
Ghaghra	1080	Himalayan Glacier in tibet, tributary of Ganga	Joins Ganga in Bihar
Hugli (Hooghly)	260	Tributary of Ganga near West Bengal	Merges with Ganga at the Bay of Bengal
Damodar	592	Tributary of Hugli near Chandwar, Jharkhand	Merges with Hugli in West Bengal

Although Hugli and Damodar rivers are not considered the most important rivers of the Ganga river system.

The Indus River System

The Indus River System includes the following 6 major rivers: 

Rivers	Length (KM)	Origin	End
Indus	3180	Originates in Tibetan plateau, Enters India in J&K	Merges into Arabian sea near Sindh
Chenab	960	Upper Himalayas in the Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh	Merges with Indus
Jhelum	725	Tributary of Chenub river, Punjab	Merges with Chenab at Jhang (Pakistan)
Ravi	720	Starts from Bara Bhangal, Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh	Joins Chenab in Pakistan
Sutlej	1500	Tributary of Indus river, originates at Rakshastal, Tibet	Meets Beas river in Pakistan and ends at Arabian sea
Beas	470	Rises at Himalayas in central Himachal Pradesh	Joins Sutlej river in Punjab, India

Western Ghats Rivers

Western Ghats Rivers: 

Rivers	Length (KM)	Origin	End
Kaveri	765	Talakaveri in the Western Ghats in Karnataka	Ends in the Bay of Bengal
Krishna	1400	Originates in the Western Ghats near Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra	Ends in the Bay of Bengal near Andhra Pradesh
Godavari	1465	Starts in Maharashtra and passes through 7 Indian states	Empties in the Bay of Bengal
Tungabhadra	531	Tributary of Krishna river staring at Karnataka	Joins Krishna river along the border of Telangana and Andhra Prades

Vindhya and Satpura Ranges rivers

Vindhya and Satpura Ranges rivers:

Rivers	Length (KM)	Origin	End
Tapti	724	Rises in Eastern Satpura Ranges, Madhya Pradesh	Empties into Gulf of Khambat, Gujarat
Mahi	580	Rises in Madhya Pradesh	Flows into Arabian sea from Gujarat
Narmada	1315	Starts from Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh

Other Important Notes on Indian rivers to remember:

• River Saraswati was considered to be a mythical river and is part of the Hindu Triveni Sangam mythology of the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers. Recent studies have shown that the Saraswati river was flowing under the ground and meeting Ganga and Yamuna at the Kumbh Mela spot.
• Meghna a major river in Bangladesh is a tributary if Indian Brahmaputra river and also empties into the Bay of Bengal.

Related

• Vidya Kendra – Yamuna Vihar
• Year 2011 Compulsory English Paper UPSC
• Current Affairs – 3rd March 2017
• Year 1999 Compulsory English Paper UPSC
• Namami Gange Programme