The Himalayan Rivers - Concepts - Chapter 3 Class 9 Geography - Drainage - Geography

The Himalayan Rivers

• Major Himalayan Rivers - the Indus, the Ganga, and the Brahmaputra. 
• These are rivers. long, and are c onnected by numerous large and significant tributaries
• A river system consists of the main river and its tributaries.

The Indus River System

• The Indus River originates in Tibet , near Lake Mansarovar. It flows west and e nters India in Ladakh.
• In the Kashmir region, it is joined by several tributaries, including the Zaskar, Nubra, Shyok, and Hunza.
• The Indus River passes through Baltistan and Gilgit before emerging from the mountains at Attock.
• The Satluj, Beas, Ravi, Chenab, and Jhelum rivers join to enter the Indus near Mithankot in Pakistan.
• Beyond this point, the Indus flows southward until it reaches the Arabian Sea east of Karachi.
• With a total length of 2900 kilometers , the Indus is one of the world's longest rivers.
• A little over a third of the Indus basin is located in India Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab and the rest is in Pakistan .

Indus Water Treaty 

• As per the terms of the Indus Water Treaty (1960) ,. India is only permitted to u se 20% of the water that is carried by the Indus river system, 
• This water is used for irrigation in Punjab, Haryana, and the southern and western parts of Rajasthan.

The Ganga River System

• The Ganga's headwaters, known as the 'Bhagirathi,' are fed by the Gangotri Glacier and join the Alaknanda at Devaprayag in Uttarakhand
• The Ganga emerges from the mountains onto the plains at Haridwar.
• The Ganga is joined by many tributaries from the Himalayas such as the Yamuna, the Ghaghara, the Gandak, and the Kosi
• The Yamuna River originates from the Yamunotri Glacier in the Himalayas.
• It flows parallel to the Ganga and joins at  Allahabad.
• The Ghaghara, Gandak, and Kosi rivers rise in the Nepal Himalayas.
• The Chambal, Betwa, and Son are the main tributaries that flow from the peninsular uplands.
• These originate in semi-arid areas, have shorter courses , and do not carry much water.
• The Ganga flows eastwards till Farakka in West Bengal
• This is the Ganga delta's northernmost point.
• The river splits here, and the Bhagirathi-Hooghly (a distributary ) flows south to the Bay of Bengal through the deltaic plains. 
• The mainstream, flows southwards into Bangladesh and is joined by the Brahmaputra.
• the Ganga and the Brahmaputra flow into the Bay of Bengal. 
• The delta formed by these rivers is known as the Sundarban Delta.
• The length of the Ganga is over 2500 km.

The Brahmaputra River System

Different names of Brahmaputra river in different regions 

• The Brahmaputra Rive r rises in Tibet east of Mansarovar Lake , close to the Indus and Satluj rivers' sources.
• It runs parallel to the Himalayas to the east . When it reaches Namcha Barwa (7757 m), it makes a 'U-turn and enters India through a gorge in Arunachal Pradesh.
• It is known as the Dihang in Assam , where it joins the Dibang, the Lohit, a nd many other tributaries to form the Brahmaputra.
• It passes through a high-rainfall region in India and transports a large volume of water as well as a significant amount of silt .
• In Assam , the Brahmaputra River has a braided channel that forms many riverine islands.
• Every year during the rainy season, the river overflows   and causes widespread devastation in Assam and Bangladesh due to floods
• The Brahmaputra is known as the Tsang Po in Tibet and Jamuna in Bangladesh .