rivers of south india crux

Rivers of South India CRUX East Flowing Peninsular Rivers (Draining in Bay of Bengal)
Mahanadi River Godavari River Krishna River Kaveri (Cauvery) River Pennar River Subarnarekha River
Brahamani River Baitarani River Sarada River Ponnaiyar River Vaigai River
** A river basin is the part of land through which a main river and all its tributaries flows.
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Mahanadi River
The Mahanadi basin extends over states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha and comparatively smaller portions of Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh draining an area of 1.4 lakh Sq.km.
Total course - 900 km. [A river delta is a landform created by deposition of sediment that is
carried by a river as the flow leaves its mouth and enters slower-moving or stagnant water. This occurs where a river enters an ocean, sea or reservoir. Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri, all form deltas.]
Source - River Mahanadi originates from Sihawa Mountain in Dhamtari District of Chhattisgarh.
The major part of basin is covered with agricultural land accounting to 54.27% of the total area.
The total length of river from its origin to the confluence of Bay of Bengal is about 851 Km, of which, 357 Km lies in Chhattisgarh and balance 494 Km in Odisha.
After receiving the Seonath River (Shivnath), it turns east and enters Odisha state.
Seonath - The Seonath is the longest tributary of Mahanadi, its length is 290 Kms.
At Sambalpur, the Hirakud Dam (one of the largest dams in India) on the river has formed a man-made lake 35 miles (55 km) long. It enters the Odisha plains near Cuttack and enters the Bay of Bengal by forming a delta.
Other small streams between the Mahanadi and the Rushikulya draining directly into the Chilka Lake also forms part of the basin.
Its main tributaries are The Seonath (left bank) The Jonk (right bank) The Hasdeo (left bank) The Mand (left bank) The IB (left bank) The Ong (right bank) The Tel (right bank)
Major projects Hirakud Dam Dudhawa Dam is located in Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh. Gangrel Dam (Ravishankar Sagar), located in Dhamtari district,Chhattisgarh. It is a key water supplier of Bhilai
Steel Plant. Sondur Dam on Sondur River in Dhamtari district, Sondur is a tributary of Mahanadi. Hasdeo Bango Dam is a dam across the Hasdeo river in Chhattisgarh, India. Tandula Dam on Tandula river which is a tributary of Seonath river.
Satkosia Tiger Reserve (Odisha) was designated in 2007, and comprises the Satkosia Gorge Wildlife Sanctuary and the adjacent Baisipalli Wildlife Sanctuary. This Gorge is made by the Mahanadi River.
The Mahanadi basin is rich in mineral resources. It therefore has a favorable industrial climate. The Important industries presently existing in the basin are the Iron and Steel plant at Bhilai, aluminium factories at
Hirakud and Korba, paper mill near Cuttack and cement factory at Sundargarh.
Godavari River The Godavari is the largest river system of the Peninsular India and
is revered as Dakshina Ganga. The Godavari is India's second longest river after the Ganga. Longest
river of South India. Source - Godavari rises in the Sahyadris Brahmagiri Mountains near
Trimbakeshwar in the Nashik district of Maharashtra. Measuring more than 3 Lakh Km 2 it forms one of the largest river
basins in the Indian subcontinent. The catchment area of the river is spread in the states of Maharashtra
(48.6%), Telangana + Andhra Pradesh (23.4%), Madhya Pradesh (10.0%), Chattisgarh (10.9%), Orissa (5.7%) and Karnataka (1.4%).
The total length of Godavari from its origin to outfall into the Bay of Bengal is 1,465 km out of which the length in Maharashtra is 694 Km.
Important Tributaries of Godavari Left bank tributaries - Purna, Pranhita, Indravati and Sabari
River. Right bank tributaries - Pravara, Manjira, Manair, Kinnersani. Pranhita is the largest tributary covering about 34% of its
drainage basin. Wardha and Wainganga river merge and forms Pranhita river.
Indravati is the 2 nd largest tributary, known as the "lifeline" of the Kalahandi, Nabarangapur of Odisha & Bastar district of Chhattisgarh. (Indravati National Park, Chitrakoot Waterfall - Indravati river)
Manjira is the longest tributary and holds the Nizam Sagar reservoir.
Singur Dam in Telangana is also on the Manjira River and it is a major source of drinking water for Hyderabad.
Purna is a prime river in the water scarce Marathwada region of Maharashtra.
Cities on the bank of Godavari - Nashik, Nanded, Rajamundhry, Ramagundam, Bhadrachalam.
Before falling into the Bay of Bengal, Godavari river is divided into West Godavari and East Godavari.
Major Projects on Godavari Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project - At the juncture of the rivers Godavari and its tributary Pranahita in
Telangana. Polavaram Project - Andhra Pradesh Jayakwadi Dam - Aurangabad, Maharashtra
River Godavari supports active wildlife also Wainganga River Basin is home to two oldest tiger reserves viz. Tadoba Andhari tiger reserve in Maharashtra
and Pench tiger reserve which is shared by Madhya Pradesh & Maharashtra. . Manjira Wildlife Sanctuary (Telangana) Pranhita Wildlife Sanctuary (Telangana) Kinnerasani Wildlife Sanctuary
(Telangana) Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary(Andhra
Pradesh), renowned for reptiles, is a part of Godavari Delta.
Statewise Drainage Area (Km 2 )
Krishna River The Krishna is the second largest eastward draining interstate river
in Peninsular India. It rises in the Mahadev range of the Western Ghats at an altitude of
1,337 m near Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra. It flows for a distance of 305 km in Maharashtra, 483 km in
Karnataka and 612 km in Andhra Pradesh before finally falling into the Bay of Bengal.
The length of the river is about 1,400 km. The two largest tributaries are the Bhima (north) and the
Tungabhadra (south). Overall largest is Tungabhadra. The longest tributary of Krishna river is Bhima (861 km) and second
longest is Tungabhadra (531 km).
Dams on Krishna river
Basava Sagar Dam , previously known as Narayanapura Dam across Krishna River at Yadgir District, Karnataka. Srisailam Dam is constructed across the Krishna River in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh. Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is a masonry dam across the Krishna River at
Nagarjuna Sagar which straddles the border between Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh and Nalgonda district in Telangana.
The Tungabhadra Dam also known as Pampa Sagar is constructed across the Tungabhadra River, a tributary of the Krishna River. Located in Ballari, Karnataka.
Prakasam Barrage stretches across the Krishna River connecting Krishna and Guntur districts in Vijayawada, Krishna district.
Almatti Dam is a hydroelectric project on the Krishna River in North Karnataka.
Name of Tributary Drainage Area (Km 2 )
Length (km) Name of Tributary
Drainage Area (Km 2 )
Tungabhadra 71,417 531
Krishna River Tributaries Right bank - Ghatprabha, Malprabha,Tungabhadra,
Dudhganga, Panchganga, Koyna. Left Bank - Bhima, Musi, Dindi, Paleru, Munneru. The Koyna is a small tributary & known for Koyna
Dam (Maharashtra). The Bhima originates from the Bhimashankar hills,
Matheran (Maharashtra) and joins the Krishna near Raichur (Karnataka) after for a distance of 861 km.
The holy city of Pandharpur is on the bank of Bhima River.
Bhimashankar is one of the twelve esteemed Jyotirlinga shrines.
At Wazirabad, it receives its last important tributary, the Musi, on whose banks the city of Hyderabad is located.
The Tungabhadra is formed by the unification of the Tunga and the Bhadra originating from Gangamoola in the Central Sahyadri.
Its total length is 531 km. It was known as Pampa during the epic period. The city of Hampi is built on its bank.
Cities on the bank of Krishna River - Amravati, Vijayawada, Srisailam, Mahabaleshwar.
Cauvery River Kaveri is the only perennial river of South India. Sometimes it is also called ‘Ganga of the South’. It rises on Talakaveri in Brahmagiri Hill of the Western Ghats in Karnataka state, flows in a southeasterly direction for
765 km through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and falls in Bay of Bengal. The total length of the river from source to its outfall into Bay of Bengal is about 800 km. Of this, 320 km is in Karnataka, 416 km is in Tamil Nadu and 64 km forms the common boundary between Karnataka
and Tamil Nadu States. The important tributaries joining Cauvery in the Coorg district are the Kakkabe, the Kadanur and the Kummahole. Cauvery then enters the Mysore district . Tributaries joining the river from the left are the Harangi, the Hemavathi, the Shimsha and the Arkavathi. The tributaries joining it from the right are the Lakshmanathirtha, the Kabani, and the Suvarnavathi. Further down, the river enters Tamil Nadu state where the many tributaries, namely, the Bhavani, the Noyil, and the
Amravathi join it from the right. In Karnataka the river bifurcates twice, forming the sacred islands of Srirangapatnam (It was capital of Tipu Sultan’s
Kingdom) and Sivasamudram, 50 miles apart.
Major Projects Krishnaraja sagar dam - Karnataka Mettur dam - Tamil Nadu Grand Anicut Dam - Tamil Nadu
Largest tributary of Cauvery - Shimsha Longest tributary of Cauvery - Hemavathy
Pennar River Pennar River (also known as Uttara
Pinakini) is one of the major rivers of the peninsula.
The Pennar rises in the Chenna Kasava hill of the Nandidurga range, in Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka and flows towards east eventually draining into the Bay of Bengal.
The total length of the river from origin to its outfall in the Bay of Bengal is 597 km.
The Somasila Reservoir (Andhra Pradesh) is on this river.
Tributaries of Pennar River Left Bank: Jayamangali, Kunderu. Right bank: Chiravati, Papagni.
Statewise Drainage Area :: Andhra Pradesh (48,276 Km 2 ), Karnataka (6,937 Km 2 ). Total Drainage Area :: 55,213 Km 2
Brahamani & Baitarani River The basin consisting of Brahmani and Baitarani extends over states
of Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh having an area of 51,822 Sq.km.
The Brahmani is the second largest river in Odisha (largest is Mahanadi). It originates as two major rivers namely the Sankh and the Koel from the Chhotanagpur Plateau and both join near Rourkela forming the major river Brahmani. It flows through Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal and the coastal plains of Kendrapara and Jajpur districts before discharging into the Bay of Bengal at Dhamra. The Brahmani is 799 km long.
The Baitarani River originates from Guptaganga hills in Keonjhar district of Odisha.
A major portion of the river basin lies in the state of Odisha, while a smaller part of the upper reach lies in Jharkhand state. Initially the river flows in a northern direction for about 80 km and then takes an abrupt right turn near Champua and flows in a south easterly direction and finally discharges into Bay of Bengal through the deltaic area of river Brahmani.
The river travels a total distance of 360 km.
Rushikulya River The Rushikulya River is one of the major eastern
flowing rivers in the state of Odisha and covers the entire catchment area in the districts of Kandhamal and Ganjam of Odisha.
The Rushikulya originates at an elevation of about 1000 metres from Daringbadi hills of the Eastern Ghats range. The place from where the river originates, Daringbadi is called the ‘Kashmir of Odisha’.
At the Rushikulya beach Olive Ridley Turtles lay eggs in large numbers.
Subarnarekha
It is one of the longest east flowing inter-state rivers. It covers large areas of Jharkhand and some parts of
West Bengal and Odisha. The Subarnarekha river originates near Nagri village
in Ranchi district of Jharkhand. The total length of the river is about 395 Km.
Hundru Falls is created on its course.
River Vamsadhara It is an important east flowing river between
Rushikulya and Godavari, in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh states in India.
Another river with similar course is Nagavali River .
Just South of Nagavali is another river called Sarada river that lies entirely in Visakhapatnam.
Ponnaiyar River (South Pennar) It covers a small area in the state of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The river originates in the Nandi Hills in the Chikkaballapura district of Karnataka and flows through Tamil Nadu
before emptying into the Bay of Bengal.
Vaigai River It originates in Varusanadu Hills in Theni & it passes through the towns of Theni, Dindigul and Madurai and finally
empties into the Palk Strait.
Palar River Palar is a river of southern India. It rises in the Nandi Hills in Chikkaballapura district of Karnataka state, and flows 93
kilometres in Karnataka, 33 kilometres in Andhra Pradesh and 222 kilometres in Tamil Nadu before reaching its confluence into the Bay of Bengal at Vayalur.
by Dr. Gaurav Garg
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rivers of south india crux

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