You are here
Drainage Systems in India
-
Indian rivers are classified into two major groups:
- Himalayan rivers
- Peninsular rivers.
- The Himalayan and Peninsular rivers differ in numerous ways.
- The majority of Himalayan rivers are perennial .
- The two major Himalayan rivers, the Indus and the Brahmaputra flow northward from the mountain ranges.
- They have carved gorges through the mountains.
- The Himalayan rivers have long courses from their source to the sea.
- They perform an intensive erosional activity in their upper courses and transport massive amounts of silt and sand
- In the middle and the lower courses, these rivers form meanders, oxbow lakes,
- Many Peninsular rivers are seasonal, as their flow is determined by rainfall.
- Even the largest rivers have less water flowing through their channels during the dry season.
- In comparison to their Himalayan counterparts, Peninsular rivers have shorter and shallower courses
- The majority of rivers in peninsular India originate in the Western Ghats and flow to the Bay of Bengal.
