Rivers of India – Check Smallest & Longest Rivers, River Map Of India Here!

RIVERS OF INDIA

Hello dear readers,

In this blog we are going to discuss everything that you need to know about the Rivers of India. Do you know how many types of drainage systems there are? Do you want to know the origin of Indian rivers? Read ahead to know all about the mighty, souring rivers of India.

Types of rivers in India

Typically, rivers are classified on the basis of periodicity of flow and availability of water. There are two types of rivers:

1. Perennial rivers: The rivers that have water throughout the year irrespective of rainfall are called perennial rivers. In India, rivers like Ganga and Brahmaputra are perennial rivers. These rivers are both snow-fed and rain-fed and hence have water throughout the year.
2. Ephemeral rivers: An ephemeral river is a river that only flows when there is rain or snow has melted. The rest of the year there is just a dry river bed with no water. The Luni river in Rajasthan is an ephemeral river.

Drainage Patterns

The flow of water through a well defined channel, such as a river, is known as ‘drainage’ and the network of such channels is called a ‘drainage system’. The pattern in which the rivers flow is known as the ‘drainage pattern’ and it depends on factors such as:

• Geological time period
• Nature of rocks
• Structure of rocks
• Topography
• Amount of water flowing in the river
• Periodicity of the flow

The types of drainage patterns are as follows:

1. Dendritic: When the drainage pattern of a river system resembles the branches of a tree, it is called dendritic pattern. Most rivers of the northern plain are examples of dendritic drainage patterns.
2. Radial: When the rivers originate from a hill and flow in all  directions, the drainage pattern is known as radial. The rivers of Amarkantak range are an example of radial drainage pattern.
3. Trellis: When the primary tributaries of rivers flow parallel to each other and the secondary tributaries join them at right angles, the pattern is called trellis.
4. Centripetal: When the rivers discharge their waters from all directions in a lake or depression, the pattern is known as centripetal.

List of the Rivers in North India or the Himalayan rivers:

Sr. No.	River Name	Tributaries
1.	Indus River	·        Jhelum·        Chenab·        Ravi·        Beas·        Sutlej.
2.	Ganga River	·        Yamuna·        Ghaghara·        Gandaki·        Alaknanda·        Ramganga·        Kosi·        Kali·        Sone·        Hugli
3	Brahmaputra River	·        Lhasa River·        Nyang River·        Yarlung Zangbo·        Lohit River·        Dhansiri River·        Kolong River·        Kameng River·        Manas River·        Beki River·        Raidak River·        Jaldhaka River·        Teesta River·        Subansiri River

List of the rivers in South India or the Peninsular Rivers:

Sr. No.	River Name	Tributaries
1.	Narmada River	·Burhner·        Halon·        Heran·        Banjar·        Dudhi·        Shakkar·        Tawa·        Barna·        Kolar·        Ganjal·        Beda·        Goi·        Orsang
2.	Tapi River	·        Purna River·        Girna River·        Panjhra River·        Waghur River·        Bori River·        Aner River
3.	Mahanadi River	·        Sheonath River·        Jonk River·        Hasdeo River·        Mand River·        Ib River·        Ong River·        Tel River
4.	Godavari River	·        Pranhita River (Combination of Wainganga, Penganga and Wardha Rivers)·        Manjira River·        Bindusara River·        Sabari River
5.	Krishna River	·        Tungabhadra River (formed by the Tunga and Bhadra Rivers)·        Koyna River·        Bhima River·        Malaprabha River·        Ghataprabha River·        Yerla River·        Warna River·        Dindi River·        Musi River·        Dudhganga River
6.	Kaveri River	·        Arkavathi River·        Shimsha River·        Hemavati River·        Kapila River·        Honnuhole River·        Amaravathi River·        Lakshmana Tirtha River·        Kabini River·        Lokapavani River·        Bhavani River·        Noyyal River

Classification of Indian River systems

There are various ways of classifying the Indian rivers.

• On the basis of discharge of water: The rivers draining into the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal are separated by the Delhi ridge, Aravallis and Sahyadris. 
  • Arabian Sea drainage: 23% of the Indian drainage is oriented towards the Arabian Sea. This includes Indus, Tapi, Narmada, Mahi, and Periyar systems. 
  • Bay of Bengal Drainage: Approximately 77% of the Indian river drainage is oriented towards the Bay of the Begal. This includes mighty rivers such as Ganga, Brahmaputra, Mahanadi and Krishna.
• On the basis of watershed/river basin size: An area drained by a river and its tributaries is called a drainage basin. The catchment areas of large rivers are called river basins while those of small rivers and rivulets are known as watersheds.
  • Major river basins with more than 20,000 sq. km of catchment area. This includes 14 drainage basins such as Ganga, Brahmaputra, Krishna, Tapi, Narmada, Mahi, Pennar, Sabarmati, and the Barak.
  • Medium river basins with catchment area between 2000 and 20,000 sq. km. There are 44 such river basins including Kalindi, Periyar, Meghna, etc.
  • Minor river basins with catchment areas of less than 2000 sq. km. These include rivers that flow in areas which receive low rainfall.
• On the basis of mode of origin, nature and characteristics: On this basis Indian river systems can be classified as the Himalayan Drainage system and the Peninsular Drainage system.

The Himalayan Drainage System:

Characteristics: The major river systems of this drainage system include Ganga, Indus and Brahmaputra. These rivers are fed by melting snow as well as rainfall and hence they are perennial rivers. They form deep gorges, V-shaped valleys, rapid and waterfalls in the mountains. In the plains they form flat valleys, ox-bow lakes, flood plains, braided channels and deltas. 

Evolution: It is believed that there was a mighty river called Shiwalik or Indo-Brahma that used to flow along the entire length of the Himalayas. It used to discharge its water into the Gulf of Sind. Later on the Shiwalik split into three main river systems which are Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra.

The Indus river:

The Indus is the largest exotic river in India by volume. Indus river is also known as Sindhu River or Puranik River. The Indus river is one of the most beautiful rivers in India.

Source of Origin:

The Indus river originates from Mount Kailash in Tibet from a glacier near Bokhar Chu and moves to the Arabian Sea in Karachi, Pakistan. The Indus river played a vital role in one of the largest ancient civilizations namely the Indus Valley Civilization and holds great historical value. In Tibet, it is called Singi Khambhan or Lion’s mouth.

Tributaries of River Indus:

The Indus is the western most River system in the subcontinent. The main tributaries of the Indus river are as: Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Satluj. The Indus River has the other tributaries are as mentioned:

1.    Astor River

2.    Nagar River

3.    Dras River

4.    Balram River

5.    Ghizer River

6.    Gar River

7.    Gumal River

8.    Gilgit River

9.    Kurram River

10.  Kabul River

11.  Shigar River

12.  Sohan River

13.  Shyok River

14.  Zanskar River

15.  Tanubal River

Route of River Indus:

The Indus rises in western Tibet and runs across the high plateau, then the river Indus runs north- west between the world’s greatest mountain ranges, the Karakoram and the Himalayas. In India, Indus enters Azad Kashmir and flows downwards to meet the Arabian Sea. In India, the Indus spreads over Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and a part of Rajasthan, Haryana, and Chandigarh. The total length of Indus from origin to its outfall in Arabian Sea is 3180 km, out of which 2,900 km flows through India.

Five Rivers of Punjab

The state of Punjab is known as the land of five rivers, due to the five major rivers flowing through this region. Due to its geographical significance, the region has been given the name Punjab (where ‘Punj’ means Five and ‘Aab’ means Water).

Let us first discuss the region and we will learn separately about each of the five rivers of Punjab.

Punjab Plains:

●     The names of five rivers of Punjab are:

➔     Jhelum

➔     Chenab

➔     Ravi

➔     Beas 

➔     Satluj

●     All these rivers are tributaries of the Indus river and converge together to form the Panjnad river which ultimately flows into the Indus river.

●     All these rivers together with the Indus river are considered part of the Indus Valley River System.

●     This region is referred as Pancha-nada in Puranas and Mahabharata, which also means land of five rivers.

●     The ancient Greeks referred to this region as Pentapotamia, which means an inland delta of five converging rivers. It means that these rivers have been draining this land since ancient times.

●     As of today, only three rivers of these five flow through the Punjab state of India. Ravi flows partially in Punjab, mainly along the international boundary of India and Pakistan and then enters Pakistan.

Satluj, Beas, Ravi	Flow in India
Jhelum, Chenab	Flow in Pakistan

Who gets water from which river?

All the rivers of the Indus Valley River System flow through India and then enter into Pakistan. The waters of these rivers were shared between the two countries by signing a treaty called Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) between India and Pakistan in 1960 at Karachi. The agreement was brokered by the World Bank and it was signed by Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India and Ayub Khan, the President of Pakistan. According to this treaty, the waters of:

Satluj, Beas and Ravi	allocated to India
Chenab, Jhelum and Indus	allocated to Pakistan

Now, let us discuss each of the five rivers separately. The following table shows a summary of all the five rivers of Punjab:

Name	Length(in kms)	Place of Origin	Destination
Jhelum	725	Verinag Spring in Kashmir	Chenab River
Chenab	960	Upper himalayas in Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh	Merge with Sutlej and forms Panjnad river, which flows into Indus river
Ravi	720	Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh	Chenab river
Beas	470	Beas Kund in Himalayas, Himachal Pradesh	Sutlej river at Harike in Tarn Taran district
Satluj	1500	Rakshastal lake in Tibet	Chenab river

Satluj

Satluj (or Sutlej) is the easternmost tributary of the Indus river. Its Sanskrit name is Shatadru.

●   Source: The source of origin is Rakshastal Lake in Tibet. Some geologists consider the source as Mansrover lake. The two lakes Mansrover and Rakshastal are very huge lakes in Tibet region and close to each other. The water of Mansarovar lake overflows into Rakshastal lake.

●     Place of entrance in India: The river enters India in Himachal Pradesh and then enters Ropar district of Punjab. The river Beas merges with it at Harike in Tarn Taran district. It unites with Chenab river near Uch Sharif in Pakistan, forming the Panjnad river. The Panjnad river merges with the Indus river at a distance of 100 Km from Bahawalpur city in Pakistan.

●     Length: The total length of Sutlej is around 1500 Km. This is the longest river in Punjab.

●   Major dams: Bhakra Dam is one of the biggest dams in India and its reservoir Gobind Sagar Lake is the second largest reservoir in India in terms of water storage capacity. Nangal Dam, Karcham Wangtoo Dam, Nathpa Jhakri Dam are the other main dams on this river.

Beas

Beas river is named Arjikiya in vedas and ancient name in Sanskrit is Vipasa.

●     Source: Beas river originates from Beas Kund (also called Vyas Kund) in Himalaya mountains in Himachal Pradesh.

●     Place of entrance in India: It enters Punjab in Hoshiarpur district.

●     Length: The total length of the river is approximately 470 Km and terminates by merging with Sutlej river at Harike in Tarn Taran district of Punjab.

●     Major dams: Pong dam and Pandoh dam are the two main dams built on this river. Pong Dam, also called Maharana Partap Sagar, is located in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. Pandoh dam is located in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh and it diverts the waters of Beas river to Sutlej river.

Ravi

Vedic name of Ravi is Purushini and its name is Iravati in sanskrit.

●     Source: Ravi river rises in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh and enters into Punjab in Pathankot district.

●     Place of entrance in India: The river flows along the international border of India and Pakistan separating the Gurdaspur and Amritsar districts of Punjab from Pakistan.

●     Length: It flows for a total length of around 720 Km and finally terminates by merging with Chenab river near Ahmadpur Sial town in Pakistan.

●     Major dams: Major dams on this river are Ranjit Sagar dam (or Thein Dam), Shahpur Kandi dam, Chamera dam, Karcham dam and Kaushalya dam.

Chenab

This river is known with the name Askani in Vedas and its Sanskrit name is Chandrabhaga.

●     Source: Chenab river starts in upper Himalayas in Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh.

●     Place of entrance in India: It then flows through the Jammu region in Jammu and Kashmir state and enters into Punjab state in Pakistan. The river does not flow through the today’s state of Punjab in India.

●     Length: The total length of this river is around 960 Km. The river Jhelum joins it at Trimmu and then Ravi joins it near Ahmedpur Sial. It then merges with Sutlej to form the Panjnad river. The Panjnad river then merges with the Indus river which terminates by flowing into the Arabian Sea.

Jhelum

The vedic and sanskrit name of Jhelum river is Vitasta and it was known as Hydaspes to ancient greeks.

●     Origin: Jhelum river originates through Verinag Spring located in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The place is located in Verinag, around 80 Km away from Srinagar.

●     It is the western most of the five rivers of Punjab and is a tributary of Chenab river.

●     Place of entrance in India: The river flows through Jammu and Kashmir state in India and then enters Punjab state in Pakistan. It does not flow through the state of Punjab in India, nor touches its boundary at any place.

●     Length: The total length of the river is around 725 Km and it terminates into Chenab river near Trimmu in Jhang district.

●     The famous battle between Alexander (known as Sikander in Indian texts) and King Porus was fought on the banks of this river and is known as Battle of Hydaspes. 

Doab Regions In Punjab

What is a Doab?

The area between two rivers is called Doab, which literally means the land between two rivers. The word Doab is made of two persian words “Do” meaning two and “Aab” meaning water or river. So according to the rivers flowing in this region, the area is divided into various Doabs which are named according to the name of the rivers that form a particular doab. The names of these Doab regions are given below:

Bist Doab	Sutlej and Beas
Bari Doab	Beas and Ravi
Rechna Doab	Ravi and Chenab
Jech Doab	Chenab and Jhelum
Sid Sagar Doab	Jhelum and Indus

●     Bist Doab – The area between Beas and Sutlej rivers is called Bist Doab. The region is also called Jalandhar Doab, after the name of the major city of Jalandhar in this region. This is also called “Doaba” and “Doabi” dialect of Punjabi language is the main spoken language of this area. Punjab state is divided into three regions Majha, Malwa and Doaba according to the language and culture.

●     Bari Doab – The area enclosed between Beas and Ravi rivers is called Bari doab. This is part of the Majha region of Punjab. Majhi dialect of Punjabi language is mainly spoken in this area.

●     Rechna Doab – This is the area between Ravi and Chenab rivers. This area is in Punjab province in Pakistan. This is also part of Majha region.

●     Jech Doab – This is the area between Jhelum river and Chenab river and named so as a combination of names of these two rivers. This is also part of Majha region.

●     Sind Sagar Doab – This is the area between Jhelum and Indus (also called Sind) rivers.

The Ganga River – The Longest River of India

Ganges is the longest river in India if we consider the total distance covered by the river within India. The Ganges is also known as Ganga in India. The Ganges is the longest and also one of the largest rivers in India. The Ganga river is the most sacred river in India. It is worshipped by the Hindus as Goddess Ganga.

Source of Origin:

Ganga is a Himalayan river. The river originates as Bhagirathi from the Gangotri Glacier in the Western Himalayas in Uttarakhand. After the confluence at DevPrayag, where Bhagirathi is joined by Alaknanda and it forms Ganga. The length of the river Ganga is 2525 km.

Tributaries of River Ganga:

The primary tributaries of River Ganga are:

1. Yamuna
2. Gomti
3. Son
4. Gandak
5. Ghaghara
6. Koshi
7. Ramganga
8. Tapti
9. Chambal
10. Betwa
11. Ken
12. Southern Tons

River Ganga along with its tributaries is known as Ganges River System.

Route of River Ganga:

The Ganges is one of the major rivers of the Indian subcontinent which flows from the east through the Gangetic Plain of northern India and flows through India into Bangladesh. The important cities and towns situated on the banks of the River Ganga at Haridwar, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, Bhagalpur etc. When it enters West Bengal, it splits into Padma river and Hooghly river. The Padma River goes through Bangladesh and finally into the Bay of Bengal. The Hooghly River goes through various districts of West Bengal and finally flows into the Bay of Bengal. Ganga is the third largest river on Earth by discharge. 

Important tributaries of Ganga:

Yamuna:

It is the longest tributary of Ganga. It originates in the Yamunotri glacier on the western slopes of Bandarpunch range. It joins Ganga at Prayag (Allahabad). It is joined by the Chambal, the Sind, the Betwa, and the Ken on its right bank.

Chambal:

The Chambal rises near Mhow in the Malwa Plateau of Madhya Pradesh and rises upwards to Kota in Rajasthan, where the Gandhisagar dam is constructed. The Chambal is famous for its badland topography called the Chambal ravines.

Gandak:

Gandak comprises two streams – Kaligandaki and Trishulganga. It rises in the Nepal Himalayas and drains central Nepal. It enters the Ganga plain in Champaran district of Bihar and joins the Ganga at Sonpur near Patna.

Ghaghara:

The Ghaghara originated in the glaciers of Mapchachungo. Its tributaries are Tila, Seti and Beri. The river Sarda (Kali or Kali Ganga) joins it in the plain before it finally meets the Ganga at Chhapra.

Kosi:

The Kosi is an antecedent river. Its source is in the North of Mount Everest in Tibet. It is joined by the Son Kosi from the West and the Tamur Kosi from the East. It forms Sapt Kosi after uniting with the river Arun.

Ramganga:

It originates in the Garhwal hills near Gairsain. It enters into the plains of Uttar Pradesh near Najibabad. It finally joins the Ganga near Kannauj.

Son:

The Son is a large south bank tributary of the Ganga. It originates in the Amarkantak plateau. It forms a series of waterfalls at the edge of the plateau. It joins Ganga at Arrah, west of Patna.

The Brahmaputra river

Brahmaputra is the widest river of India and also the widest in the whole Asian sub continent. Alternative names for Brahmaputra river are as: Jamuna in Bangladesh, Tsangpo -Brahmaputra and Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet, Dihang in Arunachal Pradesh.

Source of Origin:

Brahmaputra originates from Kailash ranges near Mansarovar Lake in Himalayas. The bank to bank width of Brahmaputra is about 26 km and it goes upto 38 km in the monsoon. The width depends on rainfall and water capacity of the river. The total length of Brahmaputra river is about 3848 km.

Tributaries of Brahmaputra:

Primary Tributaries of the Brahmaputra River are as:

1.    Dhansiri River

2.    Lohit River

3.    Dibang River

4.    Subansiri River

5.    Kameng River

6.    Manas River

7.    Sankosh River

8.    Teesta River

Route of River Brahmaputra:

Brahmaputra river system is one of the largest rivers in India and the world. Most of the part of the river lies outside India. It flows parallel to the Himalayan range in the eastward direction. When it reaches Namcha Barwa. The river takes a U-turn around it and enters India in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. It flows through Arunachal Pradesh and Assam and is connected by various tributaries. The Brahmaputra has braided channels which covers most of its length in Assam and Bangladesh. The Brahmaputra river drains into the Bay of Bengal before forming a huge delta along with the Ganga namely Ganges- Brahmaputra Delta or Sunder bans Delta. 

The Peninsular Drainage System:

Characteristics: This drainage system is older than the Himalayan one. It is characterised by broad, large-graded shallow valleys. Most rivers of this system flow from west to east with the exception of Narmada and Tapi. They have fixed courses, absence of meanders and they are non perennial (exception: Narmada and Tapi).

Evolution: The evolution of the rivers of the peninsular drainage system can be attributed to three factors-

1. Subsidence of the western flank of the peninsula. This caused its submergence below sea.
2. Upheaval of the Himalayas caused subsidence of the northern flank and consequent trough faulting. Narmada and Tapi flow through these trough faults and fill them with detritus material. This is why there is a lack of deltaic and alluvial deposits in these rivers.
3. Slight tilting of the peninsular block from Northwest to Southeast. This caused the rivers to be oriented towards the Bay of Bengal.

The Narmada River 

• The Narmada is a river located in central India.
• It originates on the western flank of Amarkantak Hill in Madhya Pradesh.
• It is the traditional dividing line between North India and South India.
• Only the Narmada, the Tapti, and the Mahi rivers run from east to west.
• The river flows in a rift valley with Satpura in the South and Vindhya range in the North.
• It forms a beautiful gorge in marble rocks and Dhuandhar waterfall near Jabalpur. 
• It drains into the Arabian Sea in the Bharuch district of Gujarat.
• The Sardar Sarovar project has been constructed on this river.

The Tapi River

• It is one of the important rivers of peninsular India which runs from east to west.
• It originates in Multai in the Betul district of Madhya Pradesh.
• It drains important historic places like Madhya Pradesh’s Nimar region, East Vidarbha region and Maharashtra’s Khandesh in the northwest corner of the Deccan Plateau and South Gujarat before draining into the Gulf of Cambay of the Arabian Sea.
• The River Basin of Tapi River lies mostly in Maharashtra.
• The principal tributaries of Tapi River are Waghur River, Aner River, Girna River, Purna River, Panzara River and Bori River.

The Godavari River

• The Godavari River has the second-longest course in India with brownish water. It is the largest Peninsular river.
• The river is also called the Dakshin (South) Ganga or Vridh (Old) Ganga.
• This river originates from Trimbakeshwar, near Nasik in Maharashtra.
• It flows southeast across south-central India and drains into the Bay of Bengal.
• The Penganga, Indravati, Pranhita and Manjra are its important tributaries.
• After Rajahmundry, it splits into several branches and forms a large delta.
• Asia’s largest rail-cum-road bridge which links Kovvur and Rajahmundry is located on the river Godavari.

The Krishna River

• Krishna is the second longest river of Peninsular India, which originates from Mahabaleshwar in Sahyadri.
• It flows eastwards and drains into the Bay of Bengal.
• Tungabhadra River is the main tributary which itself is formed by the Tunga and Bhadra rivers that originate in the Western Ghats.
• Dudhganga Rivers, Koyna, Bhima, Mallaprabha, Dindi, Ghataprabha, Warna, Yerla, and Musi are some of the other tributaries.

The Cauvery River

• The Cauvery/Kaveri is also known as Dakshin Ganga.
• It originates in Brahmagiri hills of Kodagu district in Karnataka.
• The river drains into the Bay of Bengal. The river supports irrigation for agriculture and is considered as a means of support of the ancient kingdoms and modern cities of South India.
• The upper catchment receives rainfall during summer and the lower catchment receives rainfall during winter. Hence the river carries water throughout the year with less fluctuation as compared to other peninsular rivers.
• The river has many tributaries called Arkavathy, Shimsha, Hemavati, Kapila, Shimsha, Honnuhole, Amaravati, Lakshmana Kabini, Lokapavani, Bhavani, Noyyal, and Tirtha.

The Mahanadi River

• The Mahanadi rises near Sihawa in Raipur district of Chhattisgarh and it is a river in eastern India.
• It flows east to the Bay of Bengal. The river drains the state of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Orissa.
• The largest dam, the Hirakud Dam, is built on the river.
• Navigation activities are carried out in the lower course of the river.

The Luni River

• Luni is the largest river system of Rajasthan.
• It originates near Pushkar in two branches, the Saraswati and the Sabarmati. These two join at Govindgarh and then flow together as Luni.
• The entire river system is ephemeral.

Which river is known as the sorrow of Bihar?

River Kosi is known as the sorrow of Bihar. This is because the river frequently causes destruction and loss of life and property as it changes its course very often. The Kosi brings a huge quantity of sediments from its upper course and deposits it in the plains. This causes the course to get blocked and thus the river changes its course. 

Which river is known as the sorrow of Bengal?

The Damodar river was once known as the sorrow of Bengal but it has now been tamed by the Damodar Valley corporation project. It occupies the eastern margins of the Chotanagpur Plateau. The Barakar is its main tributary. Damodar flows through a rift valley before joining the Hugli.

Which river is the smallest river in India?

Arvari river is the smallest river of India.

The Arvari River is a small river flowing through the Alwar District of Rajasthan. It has a total length of 45 km and a total basin area of 492 sq. km. The Arvari is the main water source for the Alwar District.

The river had become a temporary stream that remained dry for most of the year. It dried up completely in 1940’s, due to extended draughts in the area. The area was declared to be a ‘dark zone’ i.e., the groundwater in this area could not be extracted. Whatever was left of the river turned into a monsoon drain.

Rejuvenation of Arvari River

In 1985, a drought in the region dried the river bed, and the river was lost. In 1986, the process of rejuvenating the river started when the people of the village built a Johad which is an earthen dam, meant to harvest every drop of rain water. The first Johad was built in the village of Bhavta. As the first Johad proved to be easy, the villagers were inspired to build more dams.

The Tarun Bharat Singh (TBS), a NGO, along with the local community, started work for water on the river basin of Arvari in 1987 to restore the river. There are 375 dams along the course of the river constructed in different villages of the river’s catchment area. As a result of this, in 1996, the Arvari river started flowing throughout the year after remaining dry for almost 60 years.

The river was awarded the International River Prize in 2004. In March 2000, President, K. R. Narayanan, visited the area to present the “Down to Earth — Joseph. C. John Award” to the villagers. Dr Rajendra Singh was awarded the Magsaysay Award in 2001.

Tributaries

The river is a very small one, which has two tributaries one of which rises in the Bhaonta-Kolyala villages. The source of the other stream is in the village of Bhavta.

Which river is the National river of India?

The Ganga River or Ganges River was declared as the National River of India by the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on November 4, 2008, in order to achieve the objectives of the Ganga Action Plan. Since then, it has been a part of the National Symbols of India.

Ganga is also revered as the holiest river of India and signifies purity and spirituality.

National River of India and Ganga Action Plan (GAP)

The Ganga Action Plan was originally initiated by India’s Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1986. The GAP was launched in June 1985. 25 towns were covered in the Ganga Action Plan Phase-I. These towns included:

·         6 towns in Uttar Pradesh

·         4 towns in Bihar

·         15 towns in West Bengal

The Ganga Action Plan phase-I entailed:

• To abate pollution of the river
• To restore the quality of river water to the ‘Bathing Class Standard’
• To improve the quality of the water
• To intercept, divert and treat the domestic sewage
• To prevent toxic industrial waste from entering into the river
• To put a stop to the unwanted entry of non-point pollutants into the river
• To promote research and development to maintain the purity and cleanliness of the river
• Development of new sewage treatment technology
• To rehabilitate soft-shelled turtles to abate pollution as it has been demonstrated successfully
• To use Ganga as resource recovery option so as to produce Methane for energy generation
• To impose similar action plans

National River of India – Ganga River

·The National River of India Ganga flows through India and Bangladesh.

·The river flows through the Himalayas, Gangetic plains and empties into the Bay of Bengal.

· In Indian traditions and culture, river Ganga is personified as Goddess Ganga

· It is a revered belief that to remit sins, one has to take a dip in river Ganga. It further channels salvation, so is believed in Indian culture.

· Many sacred places are located alongside the stretches of Ganga River:

• Gangotri
• Haridwar
• Prayagraj
• Varanasi
• Kali Ghat

· A Siamese festival called ‘Loy Krathong’ of Thailand includes a tradition of floating candles into the waterways praying to Goddess Ganga

· Hindus consider the Ganga River the holiest of all the rivers.

· Ganga is also mentioned in one of the four Vedas – Rigveda.

· Various reptiles and mammals find their habitat in the Ganga River:

§  Gharial

§  National Aquatic Animal of India – Gangetic River Dolphin

·         The river starts from the Gangotri Glacier in the name of Bhagirathi River.

·         The five confluences of Ganga River are revered as sacred and they are:

§  Vishnuprayag – Dhauliganga joins the Alaknanda

§  Nandprayag – River Mandakini joins

§  Karnaprayag – River Pindar joins

§  Rudraprayag – River Mandakini joins

§  Devprayag – Bhagirathi River and Alaknanda river form Ganga River

· Ghagra river is the largest tributary of river Ganga.

· Mainly the Sediment-laden flows of Ganga with the Brahmaputra River form Ganges Delta which is the world’s largest delta.

What is the Namami Gange Project?

The Namami Ganga project aims to stop the pollution of the river Ganga  & also to clean it further. It aims to cover 8 states, 47 towns and 12 tributaries. The project will give the local youth employment.

 It is an Integrated Conservation Mission and was approved as ‘Flagship Programme’ by the Union Government in June 2014.

Key points of the programme:

• Sewerage Treatment: Increase in sewage treatment capacity with 63 sewerage management projects under implementation in different states. New sewerage management Projects Launched in these states for creating a Sewerage capacity of 1187.33 (MLD).
• Developments of ghats and beautification of riverfronts will boost tourism. Under this mission, stringent laws and penalty is imposed on perpetrators and NGT now cancels licenses of defaulters. Camping within 100m is prohibited.
• River Surface Cleaning: River Surface cleaning for collection of floating solid waste from the surface of the Ghats and River and its disposal are afoot and pushed into service.
• Afforestation:- Increasing plantation is one of the major components of Ganga rejuvenation is ‘forestry interventions’ to enhance the productivity and diversity of the forests all along the river and its tributaries.
• Monitoring Industries: Proper industrial effluent check with regulation and enforcement through regular and surprise inspections of GPIs is carried out for compliance verification against stipulated environmental norms.

Apart from the Nmami Gange programme, Public awareness is essential as citizens should understand the unparalleled importance of the river Ganga.