India’s rivers, lakes and the inter-linking debate on one page. For explanations, go back to the chapter; for the state view, see Drainage of Chhattisgarh.
Scan top to bottom the week before Prelims. Bold lines are the facts examiners return to most often.
Himalayan vs Peninsular
| Feature | Himalayan | Peninsular |
|---|
| Flow | Perennial (snow + rain) | Seasonal (rain) |
| Age | Young, eroding, gorges | Old, graded profiles |
| Type | Antecedent (Indus, Sutlej, Brahmaputra); dendritic in plains | Superimposed, rejuvenated; trellis, radial, rectangular |
| Mouth | Huge deltas | Deltas (east); estuaries (Narmada, Tapi) |
| Pattern | Example |
|---|
| Dendritic | Northern Plains |
| Radial | Amarkantak area |
| Centripetal | Loktak lake |
Himalayan Rivers
| Fact | Detail |
|---|
| Indus | Bokhar Chu (Tibet); about 2,880 km (1,114 km in India); enters Ladakh; Zaskar, Shyok, Nubra |
| Jhelum | Verinag; Wular lake |
| Chenab | Chandra + Bhaga at Tandi; largest Indus tributary |
| Ravi | Kullu hills, west of Rohtang |
| Beas | Beas Kund; joins Sutlej at Harike; wholly in India |
| Sutlej | Rakas Tal; Shipki La; Bhakra–Nangal; antecedent |
| Indus Waters Treaty | 1960; India gets Ravi, Beas, Sutlej; in abeyance from India’s side since April 2025 |
| Ganga | Bhagirathi (Gangotri, Gaumukh) + Alaknanda at Devprayag; about 2,525 km; National River 2008 |
| Panch Prayag | Vishnu (Dhauliganga), Nand (Nandakini), Karna (Pindar), Rudra (Mandakini), Dev (Bhagirathi) |
| Ganga left bank | Ramganga, Gomti, Ghaghra, Gandak, Kosi, Mahananda |
| Ganga right bank | Yamuna, Son, Damodar (via Hugli) |
| Yamuna | Yamunotri; joins at Prayagraj; Chambal, Sind, Betwa, Ken |
| Son | Amarkantak; joins near Arrah; Rihand, Kanhar from Chhattisgarh |
| Sorrows | Kosi = Bihar; Damodar = Bengal (DVC 1948) |
| Brahmaputra | Chemayungdung glacier; Tsangpo → Siang/Dihang → Jamuna; Dibang + Lohit near Sadiya; Majuli |
| China’s Medog project | Construction began 19 July 2025 on the lower Yarlung Tsangpo |
Peninsular Rivers
| River | Source | Key facts |
|---|
| Mahanadi | Sihawa, Dhamtari (CG) | About 851 km; Hirakud (Odisha); about 53% of basin in CG; tribunal 2018 |
| Godavari | Trimbakeshwar | About 1,465 km; longest Peninsular; Pranhita (Wardha + Wainganga), Indravati, Manjra, Penganga, Sabari |
| Krishna | Mahabaleshwar | About 1,400 km; Koyna, Bhima, Tungabhadra; Srisailam, Nagarjuna Sagar |
| Kaveri | Talakaveri | About 800 km; both monsoons; KRS, Mettur; Shivanasamudra, Hogenakkal |
| Narmada | Amarkantak (MP) | About 1,312 km; Vindhya–Satpura rift; Dhuandhar; Sardar Sarovar; estuary (Bharuch) |
| Tapi | Multai (Betul) | About 724 km; Ukai; Surat |
| Mahi | Vindhyas (MP) | Crosses the Tropic of Cancer twice |
| Sabarmati | Aravalli | Ahmedabad |
| Luni | Aravalli near Ajmer | Saline lower course; ends in the Rann of Kutch |
| Subarnarekha | Near Ranchi | Hundru falls |
| Brahmani | South Koel + Sankh near Rourkela | Odisha delta region |
| Waterfall | River |
|---|
| Jog | Sharavati |
| Shivanasamudra, Hogenakkal | Kaveri |
| Dhuandhar | Narmada |
| Hundru | Subarnarekha |
| Chitrakote | Indravati |
| Dudhsagar | Mandovi |
Lakes and Wetlands
| Fact | Detail |
|---|
| Largest freshwater | Wular (J&K), tectonic, on the Jhelum |
| Largest in the north-east | Loktak (Manipur); phumdis; Keibul Lamjao (floating NP); sangai |
| Largest coastal lagoon | Chilika (Odisha) |
| Second lagoon | Pulicat; Sriharikota |
| Longest | Vembanad (Kerala) |
| Largest inland saline | Sambhar (Rajasthan) |
| Crater | Lonar (Maharashtra), meteorite, basalt |
| Freshwater between deltas | Kolleru (AP) |
| Ramsar Convention | 1971, Iran; World Wetlands Day 2 February; India’s first sites Chilika and Keoladeo (1981) |
| Indian Ramsar sites | 100 in June 2026, about 101 by August 2026 (date it!) |
| Montreux Record | Keoladeo, Loktak on it; Chilika removed in 2002 |
| Chhattisgarh | Kopra reservoir (Bilaspur): first Ramsar site, 2025 |
Inter-linking and Disputes
| Fact | Detail |
|---|
| NPP | 1980 |
| NWDA | 1982 |
| Links | 30 = 16 Peninsular + 14 Himalayan |
| Status (July 2025) | FRs 26, DPRs 11; only Ken–Betwa under implementation |
| Ken–Betwa | MP–UP; Daudhan dam; ₹44,605 crore; 90:10; foundation 25 Dec 2024, Khajuraho; Panna Tiger Reserve concern |
| PKC–ERCP | Rajasthan–MP; MoU 28 Jan 2024 |
| Godavari–Cauvery | Inchampalli → Grand Anicut; about 148 TMC of Indravati (CG share) water |
| Mahanadi–Godavari | Manibhadra (Odisha) → Dowlaiswaram (AP) |
| Article 262 | Water disputes; can exclude courts’ jurisdiction |
| Laws | Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956; River Boards Act, 1956 |
| Tribunals | Krishna, Godavari, Narmada (1969); Ravi–Beas (1986); Cauvery (1990); Krishna-II (2004); Vansadhara, Mahadayi (2010); Mahanadi (2018) |
Don’t Confuse
| This | vs | That |
|---|
| Chenab = Chandra + Bhaga | | Ganga = Bhagirathi + Alaknanda |
| Godavari: longest Peninsular | | Narmada: longest west-flowing |
| Narmada: Vindhya–Satpura | | Tapi: south of Satpura |
| Chilika: brackish, Odisha | | Kolleru: freshwater, AP |
| Hirakud (Odisha) | | Gangrel (Chhattisgarh): both on the Mahanadi |
| NPP 1980 | | NWDA 1982 |
| Article 262 (water disputes) | | Article 263 (Inter-State Council) |
- The Narmada (Amarkantak, MP) and the Indravati (Kalahandi, Odisha) do not rise in Chhattisgarh; only the Mahanadi does.
- The Son is a right-bank, Peninsula-born tributary of the Ganga.
- The Beas joins the Sutlej in India (Harike), not Pakistan.
- The Tungabhadra joins the Krishna, not the Kaveri.
- The Luni ends in the Rann of Kutch, not the Gulf of Khambhat.
- Ramsar counts change: always date them.
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