River Systems of the Peninsular Drainage

The Peninsular drainage is not one river but a dense network of systems, each with its own source, course and character. Unlike the Himalayan rivers, these are older, mostly rain-fed, and flow through hard rock terrain. The book introduces the major systems one by one, and the details below follow that order.

The Mahanadi

The Mahanadi rises near Sihawa in the Raipur district of Chhattisgarh. From there it runs through Odisha and finally discharges into the Bay of Bengal. Its total length is 851 km, and its catchment area spreads over 1.42 lakh sq. km.

A notable feature of this river is that some navigation is carried on in its lower course. The distribution of its drainage basin is fairly balanced between two states: 53 per cent lies in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, while the remaining 47 per cent lies in Odisha.

The Godavari

The Godavari is the largest Peninsular river system, and for this reason 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 several states — Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. The river itself is 1,465 km long, with a catchment area spreading over 3.13 lakh sq. km. The basin distribution is uneven: 49 per cent lies in Maharashtra, 20 per cent in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and the rest in Andhra Pradesh.

The book names two of its tributaries — the Penganga and the Indravati — before moving on to the next system.

The Tapi

The Tapi is the other important westward-flowing river of the Peninsula. 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.

Its basin is heavily concentrated in one state: nearly 79 per cent lies in Maharashtra, 15 per cent in Madhya Pradesh, and the remaining 6 per cent in Gujarat.

The Luni

The Luni is the largest river system of Rajasthan, lying west of the Aravali range. It originates near Pushkar in two branches — the Saraswati and the Sabarmati — which join each other at Govindgarh. From this point, the river comes out of the Aravali and is known as Luni. …