The West-flowing Rivers

The West-flowing Rivers The rivers flowing west are discussed below.
The Narmada It rises from a tank 1057 m high on the west of the Amarkantak plateau in Madhya Pradesh. It is the largest of the west-flowing peninsular rivers. Flowing along Ramnagar and Mandla, it turns towards Jabalpur where it cascades down to make the narrow gorge of 'Marble Rocks' after dropping from 10 metres of height (Dhuandhara falls). It then flows westwards for 320 km between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges. It also forms the famous 23 m high Kapildhara falls. It flows through the alluvial plains of Indore to form a 27-km broad estuary below Broach and enters the Gulf of Cambay. The 1312­km-long river has a drainage basin of 93,180 sq km.

The Tapti (Also, Tapi) It rises near Multai (Betul district) 792 m above sea level in the plateau of the Satpura and has a drainage area of 64,750 sq km. It runs through Berar forming a narrow valley overhung by cliffs. The Purna tributary meets the Tapti before the latter enters Khandesh. It falls into the Gulf of Cambay after forming an estuary below Surat. The total length of this second largest west-flowing peninsular river is 724 km, the last 48 km of which is tidal.

The Luni It originates from Annasagar in the Aravallis, to the south-west of Ajmer. Its 450-km course is directed through a semi-arid tract somewhat parallel to the west of the Aravallis. It ends on the Sahni marshes north of the Rann of Kutch. Its several tributaries include Sarsuti, which rises from the Pushkar lake at Ajmer. It drains an area of 37,250 sq km.

The Sabarmati It originates from the lake of Jai Samudra in Udaipur district. It enters the sea at the head of the Gulf of Cambay after a course of 300 m. Its major tributaries are the Sabar and the Hathmati coming from Idar and Mahikatrtha respectively. It drains 21,674 sq km of area.

The Mahi Rising in Gwalior it flows through Dhar, Ratlam and Gujarat and finally into the Gulf of Cambay. It is 560 km long, the last 65 km being tidal.