Wednesday, October 28, 2009

MORE FACTS ABOUT DRAINAGE IN INDIA

(i) Though the Indus is a perennial river, much of its water is lost as it flows through the Thar Desert. The delta formed by this river is mostly wasteland, since it is usually flooded with brackish water.
(ii) River Brahmaputra has different names in different countries: Tsang-po in Tibet (China); Brahmaputra in India; and Jamuna in Bangladesh. During floods, the water of the Brahmaputra looks reddish in colour after mixing with the red soils of Assam. This is why the Brahmaputra is also known as the 'Red River' of India.
(iii) The Ganga basin forms 25 per cent of the total area of India. It is the longest river in the country. The Ganga and the Brahmaputra flow in opposite direction to meet together in Bangladesh where they form the largest delta of the world. The major part of the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta lies in Bangladesh.
(iv) Gaumukh (meaning cow's mouth), an ice cave in the Himalayas, is the source of the Ganga.
(v) The Yamuna is the most important tributary on the right bank of River Ganga. Gomati, Ghaghara, Gandak and Koshi join the Ganga on the left bank. The Son is the only big river to join the Ganga directly from the southern plateau (right bank).
(vi) River Damodar is known as the 'Sorrow of Bengal' as it causes widespread destruction of lives, cattle and crops due to frequent flooding. It joins the Ganga from the right.
(vii) Some rivers of the Peninsular Plateau flow towards Ganga, e.g., Chambal, Betwa, Ken, Sind and Son. These rivers rise in the Vindhya range.
(viii) The Cauvery plunges from a height of 100 m at Sivasamundram forming the famous Sivasamundram Falls.
(ix) River Sharavati in the state of Karnataka is fam9us for its Gersoppa (Jog Falls). These falls can be considered as one of the world's greatest waterfalls in the rainy season. But like other peninsular rivers, the Sharavati has very little water in the dry season.
(x) The Narmada forms the magnificent waterfall (Marble Falls of Bheraghat in Madhya Pradesh). The waterfall is 15 m high.
(xi) The Ganga, Brahmaputra, Mahanadi. Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery are the major river systems of India draining into the Bay of Bengal, whereas the major river systems flowing into the Arabian Sea include the Indus, Sabarmati, Narmada and Tapti.
(xii) While Godavari is the largest river system in Pen­insular India, it is the second largest (next only to the Ganga System) in India as a whole.
(xiii) The Cauvery basin is one of the most developed regions of India from the point of view of power and irrigation. It is estimated that about 90-95 per cent of the total potential in both these resources has already been exploited.

No comments:

Post a Comment