.png)
The Peninsular River System
The Peninsular drainage system is older than the Himalayan one. This is evident from the broad, largely-graded shallow valleys, and the maturity of the rivers.
The Western Ghats running close to the western coast act as the water divide between the major Peninsular Rivers, discharging their water in the Bay of Bengal and as small rivulets joining the Arabian Sea.
Most of the major Peninsular Rivers except Narmada and Tapi flow from west to east.
The Chambal, the Sind, the Betwa, the Ken, the Son, originating in the northern part of the Peninsula belong to the Ganga river system.
The other major river systems of the peninsular drainage are – the Mahanadi the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri. Peninsular rivers are characterised by fixed course, absence of meanders and non-perennial flow of water.
The Narmada and the Tapi which flow through the rift valley are, however, exceptions.
Evolution of Peninsular Drainage System
Three major geological events in the distant past have shaped the present drainage systems of Peninsular India:
- Subsidence of the western flank of the Peninsula leading to its submergence below the sea during the early tertiary period. Generally, it has disturbed the symmetrical plan of the river on either side of the original watershed.
- Upheaval of the Himalayas when the northern flank of the peninsular block was subjected to subsidence and the consequent trough faulting. The Narmada and The Tapi flow in trough faults and fill the original cracks with their detritus materials. Hence, there is a lack of alluvial and deltaic deposits in these rivers.
- Slight tilting of the peninsular block from northwest to the south-eastern direction gave orientation to the entire drainage system towards the Bay of Bengal during the same period.
Rivers of the peninsular India
The major river systems of the peninsular drainage are – the Mahanadi the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri, the Narmada, the Tapi and the Luni which is discussed below:
The Godavari:
It is the largest peninsular river system due to this it is also called the Dakshin Ganga.
It rises in the Nasik district of Maharashtra and discharges its water into the Bay of Bengal.
Its tributaries run through the states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.
The Penganga, the Indravati, the Pranhita, and the Manjra are its principal tributaries.
The Godavari is subjected to heavy floods in its lower reaches to the south of Polavaram, where it forms a picturesque gorge. It is navigable only in the deltaic stretch.
The river after Rajamundri splits into several branches forming a large delta.
The Krishna:
It is the second largest east flowing Peninsular River which rises near Mahabaleshwar in Sahyadri.
Its total length is 1,401 km. The Koyna, the Tungbhadra and the Bhima are its major tributaries.
The Mahanadi:
It rises near Sihawa in Raipur district of Chhattisgarh and runs through Orissa to discharge its water into the Bay of Bengal.
It is 851 km long and its catchment area spreads over 1.42 lakh sq. km. Some navigation is carried on in the lower course of this river.
53% of the drainage basin of this river lies in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, while 47% lies in Orissa.
The Kaveri:
It rises in Brahmagiri hills (1,341m) of Kogadu district in Karnataka.
Its length is 800 km and it drains an area of 81,155 sq. km. Since the upper catchment area receives rainfall during the southwest monsoon season (summer) and the lower part during the northeast monsoon season (winter), the river carries water throughout the year with comparatively less fluctuation than the other Peninsular Rivers.
Its important tributaries are the Kabini, the Bhavani and the Amravati.
The Narmada:
It originates on the western flank of the Amarkantak plateau at a height of about 1,057 m. flowing in a rift valley between the Satpura in the south and the Vindhyan range in the north.
it forms a picturesque gorge in marble rocks and Dhuandhar waterfall near Jabalpur. After flowing a distance of about 1,312 km, it meets the Arabian sea south of Bharuch, forming a broad 27 km long estuary. Its catchment area is about 98,796 sq. km.
The Sardar Sarovar Project has been constructed on this river.
The Tapi:
It is the other important westward flowing river.
It originates from Multai in the Betul district of Madhya Pradesh.
It is 724 km long and drains an area of 65,145 sq. km. Nearly 79 per cent of its basin lies in Maharashtra, 15 per cent in Madhya Pradesh and the remaining 6 per cent in Gujarat.
The Luni:
It is the largest river system of Rajasthan, west of Aravali.
It originates near Pushkar in two branches, i.e. the Saraswati and the Sabarmati, which join with each other at Govindgarh. From here, the river comes out of Aravali and is known as Luni.
It flows towards the west till Telwara and then takes a southwest direction to join the Rann of Kuchchh. The entire river system is ephemeral.
