Drainage System in India

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 Drainage

  • The flow of water through well-defined channels is known as ‘drainage’ and the network of such channels is called a ‘drainage system’.
  • Drainage basin/ River system - The area drained by a single river system or area drained by a river and its tributaries.
  • Catchment area - river drains the water collected from a specific area.
  • Water Divide - Separates two drainage basins.
  • Watershed - The boundary line separating one drainage basin from the other.
  • River basins - catchments of large rivers.
  • River system - River along with its tributaries.
  • Ganga Basin Largest River Basin in India & Amazon river - world’s largest drainage basin.
Important Drainage Patterns
  • “Dendritic” - Drainage pattern resembling the branches of a tree.
  • “Radial” - Rivers originating from the Amarkantak range.
  • “Trellis” - Primary tributaries of rivers flow parallel to each other & secondary tributaries join them at right angles.
  • “Centripetal” - Rivers discharge their waters from all directions in a lake or depression.
Classification of Drainage
  • On the basis of discharge of water.
    1. the Arabian Sea drainage; and
    2. the Bay of Bengal drainage.
Separated from each other through the Delhi ridge, the Aravalis and the Sahyadris.
  • On the basis of the size of the watershed
    1. Major river basins with more than 20,000 sq. km of catchment area – 14 drainage basin.
    2. Medium river basins with catchment area between 2,000-20,000 sq. km – 44 River basin.
    3. Minor river basins with catchment area of less than 2,000 sq. km.
  • On the basis of the mode of origin, nature and characteristics.
    1. The Himalayan drainage.
    2. the Peninsular drainage.
Drainage System in India
  • Himalayan rivers – Perennial (Water throughout the Year).
  • Indus and the Brahmaputra originate from the north of the mountain ranges, cut through the mountains making gorges.
  • Upper Courses – Intensive erosional Activity (carry huge loads of silt and sand).
  • Middle & Lower courses - Middle and the lower courses.
  • Large number of the Peninsular rivers are seasonal; flow is dependent on rainfall.
  • Shorter and shallower courses as compared to their Himalayan counterparts.
  • Originate in the central highlands and flow towards the west.
  • Most of the rivers of peninsular India originate in the Western Ghats and flow towards the Bay of Bengal.

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