Question

Give an account on the major peninsular rivers of India.

Answer 1

• The rivers in South India are called the Peninsular rivers.
• Most of the rivers originate from the Western Ghats.
• These are seasonal rivers, (non-perennial)
• They have a large seasonal fluctuation in the volume of water as they are solely fed by rain.
• These rivers flow in valleys with steep gradients.
• Based on the direction of flow, the Peninsular rivers are divided into the west-flowing and east-flowing rivers.

East-Flowing Rivers:

1. Mahanadi:

• It originates near Sihawa in the Raipur district of Chattisgarh and flows through Odisha.
• Its length is 851 km.
• Seonath, Telen, Sandur, and lb are its major tributaries.
• The main stream of Mahanadi gets divided into several distributaries such as Paika, Birupa, Chitartala, Genguti and Nun.
• The Mahanadi empties its water in the Bay of Bengal.

2. Godavari:

• The Godavari is the longest river (1,465 km) with an area of 3.13 lakh km² among the Peninsular rivers.
• It is also called Vridha Ganga.
• It originates in Nasik district of Maharashtra, a portion of Western Ghats.
• It flows through the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh before joining the Bay of Bengal.
• Puma, Penganga, Pranitha, Indravati, Tal, and Salami are its major tributaries.
• The river near Rajahmundry gets divided into two Channels called Vasistha and Gautami and forms one of the largest deltas in India.
• Kolleru, a fresh water lake is located in the deltaic region of the Godavari.

3. Krishna:

• The river Krishna originates from a spring at a place called Mahabaleshwar in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra.
• Its length is 1,400 km and an area of 2.58 lakh sq. km.
• It is the second-longest Peninsular river Bhima, Peddavagu, Musi, Koyna, and Thungabhadra are the major tributaries of this river.
• It also flows through Andhra Pradesh and joins in the Bay of Bengal, at Hamasaladevi.

4. Kaveri:

• The river Kaveri originates at Talakaveri, Kodagu hills of Karnataka.
• Its length is 800 km.
• The river Kaveri is called Dhakshin Ganga or Ganga of south.
• Harangi, Hemavati, Kabini, Bhavani, Arkavathy, Noyyal, Amaravathi, etc are the main tributaries of the river Kaveri.
• In Karnataka the river bifurcates twice, forming the sacred islands of Srirangapatnam and Sivasamudram.
• While entering Tamil Nadu, the Kaveri continues through a series of twisted wild gorges until it reaches Hogenakkal Falls and flows through a straight, narrow gorge near Salem.
• The Kaveri breaks at Srirangam Island with two channels, river Coleroon and Kaveri.
• At last, it empties into the Bay of Bengal at Poompuhar.

West-Flowing Rivers:

1. Narmada:

• It rises in Amarkantak Plateau in Madhya Pradesh at an elevation of about 1057 m and flows for a distance of about 1,312 km.
• It covers an area of 98,796 sq. km. and forms 27 km long estuary before outfalling into the Arabian Sea through the Gulf of Cambay.
• It is the largest among the west-flowing rivers of Peninsular India.
• Its principal tributaries are Burhner, Halon, Heran, Banjar, Dudhi, Shakkar, Tawa, Bama and Kolar.

2. Tapti:

• The Tapti is one of the major rivers of Peninsular India with a length of about 724 km.
• It covers an area of 65,145 sq. km.
• Tapti river rises near Multai in the Betul district of Madhya Pradesh at an elevation of about 752 m.
• It is one of only the three rivers in Peninsular India that run from east to west the others being the Narmada and the Mahi.
• The major tributaries are Vaki, Gomai, Arunavati, Aner, Nesu, Buray, Panjhra, and Bori.
• It outfalls into the Arabian Sea through the Gulf of Cambay.

Answer 2

The Peninsular rivers of India are mostly seasonal and flow in the eastern direction towards the Bay of Bengal. Here’s an account of the major Peninsular rivers:

1. Godavari River:
   • It is the longest river of Peninsular India (about 1,465 km).
   • Originates from Trimbak Plateau in Maharashtra.
   • Known as Dakshina Ganga (South Ganges).
   • Major tributaries: Manjira, Indravati, Pranhita, Sabari.
2. Krishna River:
   • Originates near Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra.
   • Flows through Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh.
   • Major tributaries: Bhima, Tungabhadra, Musi.
3. Cauvery (Kaveri) River:
   • Originates from Talakaveri in the Western Ghats, Karnataka.
   • Known as the "Ganga of the South".
   • Flows through Tamil Nadu and empties into the Bay of Bengal.
   • Major tributaries: Hemavati, Shimsha, Kabini, Bhavani.
4. Mahanadi River:
   • Originates in Chhattisgarh.
   • Flows through Odisha and drains into the Bay of Bengal.
   • Known for the Hirakud Dam – one of the longest dams in the world.
5. Narmada River:
   • Flows westward into the Arabian Sea.
   • Originates from Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh.
   • Forms the boundary between North and South India.
   • Famous for the Marble Rocks at Bhedaghat.
6. Tapi (Tapti) River:
   • Originates from the Satpura range in Madhya Pradesh.
   • Flows westward into the Arabian Sea.
   • Flows through Maharashtra and Gujarat.