East Flowing Rivers in India

Throughout the history of mankind, the river has held a significant position. Water, which is important for a man to live, is one of the primary natural resources that the river provides. Therefore, for ages, human beings have tried to settle on the banks of the rivers to utilize them to the fullest. The river helps make the soil fertile, making it suitable for various crops to grow. It can be used for irrigation, generation of hydropower, navigation, etc. The river is very significant, especially in countries like India, which is highly dependent on its agricultural practices. The rivers that originate from the small hills and the peninsular plateau are generally seasonal and non-perennial in nature and are known as the peninsular rivers. The major East flowing peninsular rivers of India are Krishna, Godavari, Cauvery, Mahanadi, Subarnarekha, Vaigai, Brahmani, Pennar, etc.

This article will discuss East Flowing Rivers in India in the context of the IAS Exam.

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Important East Flowing Peninsular Rivers

Some of the East flowing rivers of peninsular India are briefly described below.

Godavari

• Godavari river, also called the Dakshin Ganga, is the longest river present in Peninsular India
• The length of the river is, 1500 km.
• The river ascents from Nasik, a district in Maharashtra, and at the Western Ghats, it slops.
• Various tributaries of the river are Pranhita, Penganga, Wardha, Wainganga, and Purna
• The river flows into the Bay of Bengal.

Mahanadi

• The rise of the Mahanadi River is from the highlands of the state of Chhattisgarh.
• The total course followed by the Mahanadi River is 900 km.
• Mahanadi River, after connecting with the Seonath or Shivnath River, enters the state of Odisha by flowing towards the east.
• This East flowing Peninsular River actively deposits silt around its basin.
• Hirakud Dam, which is India’s one of the largest dams, is built over this river.
• The tributaries of the Mahanadi River are Mand, Seonath, Ib, Hasdeo, Jonk, Tel, and Ong.

“Krishna

• The Krishna River is approximately 1400 km long.
• The river arises from Mahabaleshwar
• The Krishna River is the second-largest East-flowing Peninsular River.
• This river also flows to the Bay of Bengal.
• Some of the major dams built on this river are Nagarjuna Sagar dam, Srisailam Dam, Prakasham Barrage, and Almatti Dam.
• The major tributaries of this river are Musi, Tungabhadra, Bhima, Ghatprabha, and Koyana.

Cauvery

• The Cauvery River rises at an elevation of 1342 m from the Talakaveri, a place in Karnataka.
• The Cauvery basin physiologically is divided into the West Ghats, Plateau of Mysore, and the delta.
• The river forms a vast delta which is known as the “garden of the south” before flowing into the Bay of Bengal.
• This river forms the beautiful Sivasamudram falls, which provide hydroelectricity to Bengaluru, Mysore, and the Kolar Goldfield.
• Some of the major tributaries of the East flowing Peninsular river are Harangi, Shimsha, Arkavati, Hemavati, Kabbani, Noyil, Lakshmantirtha, and Amravati.

Subarnarekha

• The Subarnarekha River rises in Jharkhand from Ranchi Plateau.
• This East flowing Penninsular River forms a boundary between Odisha and West Bengal.
• The length of this river is 395 km.
• Subarnarekha river forms an estuary between the deltas of Mahanadi and Ganga and joins the Bay of Bengal.
• Tributaries of this river are Dulang, karkari, garru, Kanchi, Raru and Kharkai River.

Some of these rivers, like Godavari, Mahanadi, etc., are infamous for flooding the nearby area during the monsoon.

The East flowing peninsular rivers have a lot of tributaries, which flow to the Bay of Bengal. The formation of deltas is one of the characteristics of these rivers flowing towards the East, as they bring large sediments to the flowing basin. Almost all the East flowing rivers in India originate from the Western Ghats. These rivers mostly have a large volume of water, especially during monsoon time.

Furthermore, candidates can learn more about the detailed UPSC Syllabus and exam pattern for the preliminary and mains phase of the examination at the linked article. Analysing the syllabus will help candidates accordingly schedule a study plan.

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