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IMPORTANT RIVERS
Dr. M.G. Sajjanar
KLE Society`s College of Education
Hubballi
• India is a land of varied relief. Accordingly
there are several river systems in India. The
rivers play a very important role in the
economic development of India. They help in
the generation of hydro - electricity , irrigation
and inland navigation. The river systems of
India can be divided into two groups , North
Indian rivers and South Indian rivers.
NORTH INDIAN RIVERS;
• They mostly rise in the Himalayan
mountains and are snowfed and rainfed.
They are perennial in character. There
are three river systems in North India.
They are the Indus, Ganges and the
Brahmaputra.
• River INDUS rises near MOUNT KAILASH in
TIBET and flows through narrow gorges
towards the north-west in JAMMU-KASHMIR
and PUNJAB then enters into PAKISTAN and
reaches the ARABIAN SEA near KARACHI .
The important tributaries of river INDUS are
JHELUM, CHENAB, BEAS, RAVI, and SATLUJ.
• River GANGES in the Gangotri glacier. It has
many tributaries . The important tributaries
are YAMUNA, GOMATHI, GHAGHARA,
GANDAK, CHAMBAL, SONE and KOSI. River
YAMUNA joins the Ganges near ALLAHABAD.
River Chambal rises in Malwa plateau and
joins river Yamuna. River sone rises in the
Maikala range and joins the Ganges near
Patna. Along with river Brahmaputra, river
Ganges flows into the Bay of Bengal.
• River BRAHMAPUTRA rises in Chemayundung
glacier in Tibet and flows towords the east as
“TSANG-PO”(MEANING THE PURIFIER) it
enters India through narrow gorges in the
north – eastern part of the Himalayas, flows
towords the south and joins river Ganges and
forms a common delta. It is the largest delta in
the world. Its area is 51,306 sq.km.
•SOUTH INDIAN
RIVERS ;
• Most of the South Indian rivers rise on the western
ghats. Since, the Deccan Plateau slopes towards the
east. Most of the rivers which rise in the Western
Ghats, flow to the East into the Bay of Bengal. They
have water mostly during the rainy season and become
partly dry during summer. They are seasonal rivers and
dams are constructed across them to store water. Since
they flow on the slopes of the Western Ghats , they
have waterfalls, which are of great help for the
generation of hydro-electricity. The rivers are divided
into east-flowing and west – flowing rivers.
• The important east-flowing rivers are Mahanai,
Godavari, Krishna, an Cauvery. River Mahanadi rises in
Siwaha range. River Godavari rises at Triambak near
Nasik and has many tributaries. It is the longest river
of Peninsular India. River Krishna rises near
Mahabaleshwar. It has many tributaries. River Bheema
and river Tungabhadra are its important tributaries.
Rivers Krishna and Godavari form a single delta. It is
very fertile.. River Cauvery rises at Talakaveri in Coorg
district, flows towards the east and joins the Bay of
Bengal. It also forms a delta. Hemavathi Simsha,
Lakshman Thirtha, Kabini and Bhavani are the
important tributaries of river Cauvery.
• The two important west-flowing rivers of
Peninsular plateau are rivers Narmada and Tapti.
(Tapi). They flow through the rift valleys. River
Narmada rises on Amarkantak plateau, flows
west-wards through a narrow gorge called
Marble Gorge near Jabalpur and joins the Arabian
Sea. River Tapti rises near Multai, flows
westwards through a deep rift valley and reaches
the Arabian Sea. The other west-flowing rivers
are short and swift. Important among the are
rivers Kali, Sharavathi and Nethravaathi. They
flow through Karnataka.
•DISTRIBUTION OF
RAINFALL
• The rainy season starts in India from june and lasts till
September. Most parts of India get rainfall during this
season . About 75% of the average rainfall of India
comes during this season. By the end of May, the
north – western region has high temperature and due
to this, Rajasthan develops a low pressure area. This
low pressure attracts the South-Eat Trade winds from
the south of the equator. When they cross the
equator, they change their direction according to
Ferrel’s Law and they become the South –West
Monsoons. The word “Monsoon”comes from the
Arabic word “mousam” which means season.
• In India the South – West Monsoon season is taken to be the
rainy season. The SOUTH- WEST Monsoons are moistureladen winds and give heavy rain to a greater part of India. The
peninsular shape of India divides the South – West Monsoon
winds into the Arabian Sea branch and the Bay of Bengal
branch. The Arabian Sea branch strikes the Western Ghats
and causes heavy rainfall decreases as it adavances towards
Madhya Pradesh. The eastern side of the Western Ghats
becomes a rain – shadow area. The Bay of Bengal branch
moves towards Myanmar, the north- eastern parts of India,
foothills of the Himalayas and the North Indian plan and
causes heavy rainfall. As they move towards the west, the
rainfall decreases. With the exception of Tamilnadu, most
parts of India get rainfall from the South- West Monsoons.
• The rainfall in India is seasonal, uncertain
and unevenly distributd. Most of the rain
comes during the South- West Monsoon
period.Rainfall may be too much or too
little. There are also long dry periods in
between .
• ON THE BASIS OF THE
AMOUNT OF RAINFALL ,
WE CAN DIVIDE INDIA INTO
FIVE MAJOR RAINFALL
REGIONS:
• 1.VERY LOW RAINFALL REGION;
• (Less than 40 cm per year) It is found in the
Karakoram range,, northern Kashmir and
western parts of Kachchn and Rajasthan ( Thar
Desert) It is the region of very low rainfall in
India. Royli in Rajasthan gets only 8.3 cm of
rainfall in a year.
•2.LOW RAINFALL
REGION ( 40 cm to 60 cm per year )
• It is found in Zaskar range , parts of Punjab
and Haryana , Central Rajasthan, Western
Gujarat and the rain-shadow areas of the
Western Ghats.
• 3.MODRATE RAINFALL REGION:
(60 cm to 100 cm per year )
• It is found over a greater part of India,
excluding the areas of low rainfall and heavy
rainfall. Most of the rain is from the South –
West Monsoon winds.
• 4. HEAVY RAINFALL REGION
• ( 100 cm to 200 cm per year )
• It is found in four separate areas., namely a
narrow belt of the western coast, the eastern
coastal belt, the foothills of the Himalayas and
a part of north- east India.
• 5.VERY HEAVY RAINFALL REGION(Over 200 cm per
year )
• It is found on the western side of the Western
Ghats (Agumbe, Kudremukh), the foothills of the
Himalayas, Meghalaya plateau ( Shillong plateau )
and the Andaman and the Nicobar Islands.
Mawsynnram in Mghalaya plateau has recorded
1141 cm of rainfall per year and it is the place
which gets the heaviest rainfall in India.
• Climate plays a very important role in the
economic development of a nation, The SouthWest Monsoons control the agriculture of India,
which is the main occupation of the people.
When the monsoons fail, there is drought, and
the crops also fail. When the monsoons are
heavy, there are floods, they also cause
destruction to life and property, Hence, it is said
that “ Indian agriculture is a gamble with the
Monsoons.”
•IMPORTANT CROPS
• Agriculture is one of the oldest occupations of human
beings Agriculture means ploughing of the land,
sowing seeds, protecting plants and obtaining crops for
the use of people and domestic animals . Agriculture
also includes cattle rearing, bee keeping, sericulture
and poultry. It supplies the required food grains for the
people, fodder for cattle and also raw materials for
industries. Agriculture plays a very important role in
Indian economy.
• 1. Food crops.
• 2. commercial crops.
• 3. plantation crops
•FOOD CROPS
• THE IMPORTANT FOOD CROPS ARE PADDY,
WHEAT, JOWAR , RAGI, BAJRA, MAIE,
VEGETABLS , FRUITS AND PULSES. PADDY
WHEAT AND JOWAR ARE THE IMPORTANT
CEREALS.
PADDY ( RICE )
• Paddy is one of the important food – grains of
India. India is the second largest producer of
paddy in the world, next to China. It is mainly a
Kharif crop and is also grown as a Rabi crop
wherever irrigation is available. It is a tropical
crop and requires 25cm temperature and 100 to
• 200 cm of rainfall. Fertile alluvial soil and clay
soil are suitable for the cultivation of paddy.It
requires standing water till the crop is ready for
harvesting, hence flat land is required. Whenever
rainfall is less, irrigation is necessary.
• Paddy is grown all over India. Paddy
cultivation is concentrated in the regions
where favourable geographical conditions
are available. The main regions where paddy
is grown in India are the eastern and western
coastal plains , deltas of rivers, Northern
plains and the Terai regions of the Himalayas.
• West Bengal is now the largest paddy is cultivate
are Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh , Madhya
Pradesh , Bihar , Orissa, Karnaatak and Tamilnau.
• Though the land area under paddy cultivation is
large , the yield is low. In recent years there has
been great increase both in yield and production
of paddy because of the use of hybrid seeds ,
improved methods of cultivation and irrigation.
WHEAT:
• Wheat occupies the second place in India with
regards to production and area under
cultivation. It is mainly a Rabi crop of India. It
is one of the oldest crops introduced in India
from West Asia. It requires 10:c it 15’C
Temperature , and 50 to 70 cm of rainfall .
Wheat grows well in black cotton soil and clay
soil.
• Wheat is largely grown in Punjab, Haryana, and
Uttar Pradesh. Punjab is called the wheat granary
of India. Madhya Pradesh. Bihar , Rajasthan,
Gujarat, northern parts of Karnataka and
Maharashtra are the other wheat growing states.
Uttar Pradesh stands first in the production of
wheat. High yielding varieties of wheat and
irrigation facilities have helped in the increase of
production of wheat . India stands fourth in the
production of wheat in the world.
COMMERCIAL CROPS
• Commercial crops mostly provide raw
materials for industries. The production of
these crops is a source of foreign exchange .
The important commercial crops of India are
sugarcane , cotton , jute, oil-seeds , tea,
coffee, tobacco and spices.
SUGARCANE:
• Sugarcane is the chief commercial crop of
India . India occupies the second place in the
world in the production of sugarcane,.
Sugarcane is used as a raw material in the
production of sugar , jiggery, alcohol and in
paper industry.
• Sugarcane is an annual and irrigated
crop. It requires hot and humid
climate with 21 cm to 26 cm
temperature and 100 to 150 cm of
rainfall . It grows well in alluvial and
black soil.
• Sugarcane is grown in almost all parts of the
country. Uttar Pradesh had been the largest
producer of sugarcane in the country. The
other states which grow sugarcane are
Maharashtra Tamilnadu, Karnaatak , Andhra
Pradesh,, Orissa, Gujarat and Mashya Pradesh.
The yield of sugarcane is higher in South
India than in North India.
COTTON:
• These are the important fibre crops of India.
Cotton is a tropical crop. It requires 20 cm to
25 cm temperature and 75 to 100 cm of
annual rainfall. The yield of cotton is high
where irrigation facilities are available and
rainfall is moderate.. It grows well in alluvial ,
red and black
• It grows well in alluvial , red and black
producing states are Maharashtra , Gujarat,
Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan,
Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh . India grows
mostly short and medium staple cotton. Long
staple cotton is grown in Punjab, Haryana,
Rajasthan, Tamilnadu, and Uttar Pradesh.
•MINERAL
RESOURCES:
• India has a variety of mineral resources
which play a very important role in the
industrial development of the country.
Our mineral resources satisfy our internal
demands and also bring foreign exchange
through exports
• India has large deposits of iron ore,
manganese ore and bauxite ore. India has a
virtual monopoly over mica. India is self –
sufficient in coal but coking coal is limited.
India has small deposits of zinc , copper, lead ,
and gold. It lacks sulphur and is poor in the
production of petroleum and natural gas. We
have small deposits of minerals required for
nuclear energy.
IRON ORE:
• India has some of the world’s largest
reserves of iron ore. India stands second,
next to Russia,in iron ore reserves in the
world. The two important types of iron
ore available in India are hematite and
magnetite.
• Orissa and Jharkhand have the largest iron
ore deposits in India. The richest iron ore belt
is the U-shaped range from Singhbhum
district in Jharkhand passing through
Keonzarghar. Mayurbhanj and Sundargarh
districts in Orissa. The ore is hematite ore
with 60-65 % of iron.
• Raipur , Durg and Bastar districts of
Chhattisgarh are noted for iron ore
production. There are iron ore reserves in
Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu and
Karnatake. Kemmangundi in Chikkamagalur
district. Hospet and Sandhur in Bellary
district in Karnataka have hematite ore. In
recent years magnetite ore has been mined at
Kudermukh in Karnataka. Maharahtra also
has some iron ore deposits.
• The iron ore produced in India is used by the
iron and Steel plants located in Jharkhand,
Chhattisgarh , West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh,
Orissa, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
• India exports iron ore to Japan and other
countries, thus earning foreign exchange.
Japan imports 55% of the total iron ore
produced in India. Iron ore is exported
through the ports of Marmagoa, Mangalore,
Vishakhapatnam, Paradeep and Haldia. The
other countries which import iron ore from
India are China , Italy, Iran etc.
BAUXITE ORE:
• Bauxite is a raw material used in the
production of aluminum. Aluminum is light,
low priced, resistant to corrosion and a good
conductor of heat. It is used right from
household utensils to artificial satellites. It is
called a wonder metal. Bauxite is widely
distributed in India, especially in the laterite
rocks of peninsular India and Meghalaya
• Bauxite deposits are found in Orissa, Gujarat,
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya,
Maharashtra, Tamilnadu, Madhya Pradesh,
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Jammu and
Kashmir. India exports bauxite mainly to
Japan. The other countries that import
bauxite from India are Britain, Germany and
Italy.
•POWER
RESOURCES:
• Power resources are among the most
important natural resources and are very
essential for the economic development of a
country . Coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydro
–electric power and nuclear power are some
of the important power resources. The other
power resources are solar energy, wind
energy, tidal energy, geothermal energy and
biogas.
COAL:
• Coal is the most important source of energy in
india. About 98% of India’s coal belongs to the
Gondwana Age. During this period. Luxuriant
forests were submerged and after millions of
years, due to a lot of heat and pressure, they
were converted into coal. Coal is not only a
power resource but it also provides many biproducts. Coal is known as “Black diamond “
Anthracite and Bituminious coal are the two
important kinds of coal.
• The coalfields in India are widely distributed in
Damodar river valley. Jharkhand,
Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and
West Bengal states produce 89 % of India ‘s
coal. Chhattisgarh has the largest coal
deposits. Jharia, Bokaro ,Giridih and
Karanpura are important coalfields.
• Jharia has the best coking coal, which is
required for the smelting of iron ore. It is the
largest producer of coking coal in India.
Raniganj coalfield is the largest coalfield in
India. Coal is in great demand for railway
engines, ships, and for the production of
thermal energy.
• The river valleys of Godavari,
Mahanadi, Sone and Wardha have
smallr coalfields . The important
coalfields are Sohagpur of Madhya
Pradesh and Korba of Chhattisgarh.
There are also coalfields in Maharashtra,
Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. Indian coal is
poor in quality. The superior coking coal is
used for smelting iron ore and the inferior coal
is used for the production of thermal energy.