Peninsular River System of India

Peninsular rivers originate in the peninsular regions of India, such as the Vindhya-Satpura ranges, the Chota Nagpur Plateau, and the Western Ghats. The major peninsular rivers of India are the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Narmada, Tapti, and Luni. Formed earlier than the Himalayan rivers, these rivers have abundant water resources during the rainy season. Since the flow of these rivers is completely dependent on rainfall, the water is very low in the summer. Except for the Narmada, Tapti, and Luni, all the major peninsular rivers falls in the Bay of Bengal in the east. The Narmada and Tapti rivers flow to the Arabian Sea in the west. The Narmada and Tapti rivers flow westward due to the slope formed when the northern part of the peninsular plateau was lowered from the Himalayan plateau. The other major rivers of the peninsular plateau flow eastwards along the northwest to southwest slope. The Bharatapuzha, Sabarmati, Dhandhar, Mahi, Palar, Vaigai, Sharavati, Kali Nadi, Thamirabarani, Netravati, Penna, Brahmani, Baitarani, Subarnarekha etc. are other important rivers of the peninsula.

Godavari River System

The Godavari is the largest of the peninsular rivers and the second longest river in India. This 1465 km long river is also known as the 'Dakshina Ganga' and the Vriddha Ganga. The Godavari originates in the Nashik district of Maharashtra and flows through the states of Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh before falling into the Bay of Bengal.

Tributaries of the Godavari River

Wardha: The Wardha River, which originates from the foothills of the Mahadeo Hills south of the Satpura Range, flows into the main tributary of the Godavari, the Wainganga.

Purna: The Purna originates from the Ajanta Hills in Maharashtra. This 373 km long river joins the Godavari at Nanded.

Penganga and Manair: The Penganga is a river that originates from the Ajanta Hills and flows through the eastern region of Maharashtra before joining the Wardha River. Another river that originates from the Ajanta Hills is the Manair, which is also a tributary of the Godavari.

Wainganga: The Wainganga River, which originates in Madhya Pradesh, is another major tributary of the Godavari. It joins the Wardha River and flows south along the Maharashtra-Telangana border before joining the Godavari. After joining the Wainganga, Wardha is known as Pranahita.

Indravati: The Indravati river originates in Odisha. Flowing west from Odisha and passing through Chhattisgarh, the Indravati joins the Godavari at the Telangana-Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh borders. The Indravati river is known as the 'oxygen belt' of the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh.

Sabari: The Sabari is a river that originates in Odisha, flows along the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border and joins the Godavari in Andhra Pradesh. The Sileru river, which originates in Andhra Pradesh, is the main tributary of the Sabari.

Manjeera: The Manjeera is the most important tributary of the Godavari river flowing from the right bank. This river, which originates in Maharashtra and flows in a southeasterly direction, turns northwards as it reaches Telangana and joins the Godavari at Karimnagar, on the Maharashtra-Telangana border.

Krishna River System

The Krishna River is the main water source of the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. This river originates from the Mahabaleshwar near the Sahya Parvat in Maharashtra. The second largest peninsular river, Krishna, is about 1300 km long. The main tributaries are Dutaganga, Panchganga, Varna, Koyna, Bhima and Musi. The famous Nagarjunasagar Dam is built on the Krishna River, also known as Krishnaveni.

Dutaganga: Dutaganga, which originates from Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, flows through Kolhapur and Belgaum districts of Karnataka and reaches Krishna.

Panchganga: Panchganga river in Maharashtra is the confluence of Kasari, Kumbi, Tulsi and Bhogavati rivers. It joins Krishna in Maharashtra.

Koyna River: Koyna is a river known as the "lifeline" of Maharashtra. This river originates in Satara district of Maharashtra and flows southwards to Karnataka. It joins the Krishna near the Maharashtra-Karnataka border. India's largest hydroelectric project, the 'Koyna Hydroelectric Project', is located on this river.

Bhima: The 861 km long Bhima River originates from Bhimashankar near Pune in Maharashtra. Bhima flows in a northeasterly direction through the states of Karnataka and Telangana before merging with the Krishna River.

Musi: Musi is a major tributary of the Krishna. The city of Hyderabad is located on its banks. Musi joins the Krishna in Andhra Pradesh. The artificial lakes Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar are built with the water of this river.

Malaprabha and Tungabhadra: Malaprabha and Tungabhadra are the major tributaries on the right bank of the Krishna River. The Malaprabha River originates in Belgaum district of Karnataka. From there it flows eastwards and joins the Krishna River in Bagalkot district. The Tungabhadra River originates from two rivers, the Tunga and the Bhadra. Together they flow eastwards and join the Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh.

Kaveri River System

The source of Kaveri river is the Talakaveri on the Brahmagiri hills in Kodagu district of Karnataka. The Kaveri, which flows through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and reaches the Bay of Bengal, is a major source of water for agriculture in these areas. The 765 km long Kaveri, unlike other peninsular rivers, is a river with abundant water throughout the year. This is because the upper reaches of the river receive rainfall during the summer due to the southwest monsoon and the lower reaches receive rainfall during the rest of the year due to the northeast monsoon. The famous Hogenakkal waterfall and Krishnasagar Dam are located on the Cauvery. The major tributaries of the Kaveri River are Kabani, Bhavani, Amaravati, Pambar, Lakshmanatheertham, Arkavati, and Noyyal.

Mahanadi River System

The Mahanadi River originates in the Sihawa Hills of Raipur district of Chhattisgarh. It flows for 857 km through the states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha before falling into the Bay of Bengal. The Mahanadi was once notorious for its floods. This situation changed with the construction of the Hirakud Dam on this river. It is the largest earthen dam in the world. The major tributaries of the Mahanadi are the Seonath, Hasdeo, Ib and Tel. The city of Cuttack in Odisha is located on this river. Upon reaching Cuttack, the Mahanadi turns into another tributary called the Kathajodi. This again divides into several parts and finally falls into the Bay of Bengal. The delta formed by the confluence of the Mahanadi, Baitarani and Brahmani rivers at the False Point near Cuttack is one of the largest deltas in India.

Narmada River System

Narmada is the third longest river in India. Originating from the Amarkantak Plateau in Madhya Pradesh, the Narmada flows westwards, crosses Maharashtra and Gujarat, and falls into the Gulf of Khambhat, a part of the Arabian Sea. The Narmada, which is about 1312 km long, is called the lifeline of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The Sardar Sarovar Dam, famous for the environmental campaign launched by Medha Patkar, is located on the Narmada. The important tributaries of the Narmada are Sher, Shakkar, Dudhi, Tawa, Ganjal, Hiran, Burhner, Koral, and Uri.

Narmada Bachao Andolan

Narmada Bachao Andolan is the largest non-political organization with people's participation in the country. It was an organization formed by Medha Patkar against the Sardar Sarovar project in Gujarat. Medha first visited the Narmada Valley in 1985. Medha had been campaigning since 1987 for the rehabilitation of those who would lose their homes and livelihoods during the implementation of the Sardar Sarovar project. Patkar went on a 22-day hunger strike and the issue gained global attention. In 1989, she formed the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) to oppose the construction of the dam. As a result, the state and central governments adopted a clear policy that the same amount of land would be given to the project victims as compensation for the land acquired by the government for the project. In 1991, NBA received the 'Right to Livelihood' award.

Tapti River System

The Tapti River originates from the Multai region of Madhya Pradesh. The Tapti River is also known as Tapi. The name of the river is derived from the word "tapam" meaning heat. The 724 km long Tapti flows westwards from Madhya Pradesh, crosses the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat and falls into the Arabian Sea. The main tributaries of the Tapti are the Amravati, Purna, Suki, Girna, Aner, Betal, Patki, Bori and Panjhara.

Luni River System

The Luni is the largest river in Rajasthan. This river originates near the Pushkar Lake near Ajmer in Rajasthan. This river, which is also known as the Sagarmati, merges with the Saraswati River at Govindgarh in Rajasthan to become the Luni. This river flows into the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.