CBSE - Drainage

Ganga river has the largest basin in India

The Kunchikal Falls in Karnataka.

(i) Which one of the following describes the drainage patterns resembling the branches of a tree?
(a) Radial 

(b) Dendritic 

(c) Centrifugal 

(d) Trellis

ANS (b) Dendritic

In which of the following States is the Wular Lake located?
(a) Rajasthan 
(b) Uttar Pradesh 
(c) Punjab 
(d) Jammu and Kashmir
ANS (d) Jammu and Kashmir

The river Narmada has its source at:
(a) Satpura
(b) Brahmagir
(c) Amarkantak
(d) Slopes of the Western Ghats
ANS (c) Amarkantak

Which one of the following lakes is a salt water lake?
(a) Sambhar
(b) Dal
(c) Wular
(d) Gobind Sagar
ANS (a) Sambhar

Which one of the following is the longest river of the Peninsular India?
(a) Narmada
(b) Krishna
(c) Godavari
(d) Mahanadi
ANS (c) Godavari

Which among the following rivers flows through a rift valley?
(a) Damodar
(b) Tungabhadra
(c) Krishna
(d) Tapi
ANS (d) Tapi

Any upland or a mountain separating two adjoining drainage basins is known as water divide. An example of water divide is the Western Ghats.

 The Ganga river basin is the largest river basin in India.

The Indus river has its origin in Tibet near the Mansarovar Lake while the Ganga River has its origin in Gangotri Glacier in Uttaranchal.

Alaknanda and Bhagirathi are the two headstreams of the Ganga. They both meet to form the Ganga at Devprayag.

The Brahmaputra river, which is known as Tsangpo in Tibet, carries a smaller volume of water and less silt as it is a cold and a dry area. But once it enters India, Brahmaputra is fed by heavy rains, and it carries lot of water and silt.

The two rivers that flow through troughs are Narmada and Tapi. They form estuaries while entering the sea.

River is very beneficial for agricultural purpose and generating hydro-electricity. It provides fisheries, inland channels for transport. Lakes like the Sambhar Lake provide edible salt. They also help develop tourism and provide recreation.

Below are given names of a few lakes of India. Group those under two categories - natural and created by human beings.
(a) Wular (b) Dal (c) Nainital (d) Bhimtal (e) Gobind Sagar (f) Loktak (g) Barapani (h) Chilika (i) Sambhar (j) Rana Pratap Sagar (k) Nizam Sagar (l) Pulicat (m) Nagarjuna Sagar (n) Hirakud

Answer

Natural Lakes: Wular, Dal, Nainital, Bhimtal, Chilika, Pulicat, Sambhar, Barapani, Loktak
Created by human beings: Gobind Sagar, Hirakud, Rana Pratap Sagar, Nagarjuna Sagar, Nizam Sagar

Himalayan Rivers	Peninsular Rivers
Originate from Himalayas	Originate in the Western Ghats
These are perennial rivers.	These are seasonal rivers.
They receive water from rain as well as from melted snow from the lofty mountains.	These rivers are dependent upon rainfall. During the dry season, even the large rivers have reduced flow of water

East Flowing Rivers	West Flowing Rivers
Major rivers flowing eastwards: Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri	Only two long rivers flow westwards: Narmada, Tapi
These rivers drain in the Bay of Bengal.	These rivers drain in the Arabian sea.
Carry greater amount of sediments, so form deltas at their mouths	Carry lesser amount of sediments, so form estuaries at their mouths
Greater number of tributaries	Lesser number of tributaries
These river flow not through very deep canals.	These rivers flow in troughs.

The rivers important for the country’s economy because:
→ It is source of natural fresh water which is required for the survival of most of the animals including human.
→ The water from the rivers is used for various domestic, industrial and agricultural purposes.
→ The presence of rivers boosts trade and commerce by helping in the easy transport of goods. They are also a potential source of energy.
→ The water from rivers is used for running hydro-electric dams.
→  It is also used for navigation and transport thus, important for commercial activities.
→ It also provides fishing and great scenic and recreational value. Thus,serve as good tourist spots

(i) On an outline map of India mark and label the following rivers: Ganga, Satluj, Damodar, Krishna, Narmada, Tapi, Mahanadi, and Brahmaputra.
(ii) On an outline map of India mark and label the following lakes: Chilika, Sambhar, Wular, Pulicat, Kolleru.

Answer

Q.1. Which of the following is the result of concern over rising pollution in our rivers?
(a) Banning hydroelectric projects
(b) Various river action plans
(c) Rainwater harvesting
(d) None of the abvoe
Ans. (b)
Q.2. Which one of the following is not a lake created by human beings?
(a) Gobind Sagar
(b) Nizam Sagar
(c) Barapani
(d) Hirakud
Ans. (c)
Q.3. Which one of the following freshwater lakes is the largest?
(a) Wular
(b) Loktak
(c) Nainital
(d) Dal
Ans. (a)
Q.4. Which of the following lakes is formed as a result of tectonic activity? (V. Important)
(a) Wular Lake
(b) Kolleru Lake
(c) Loktak Lake
(d) Dal Lake
Ans. (a)
Q.5. Which of the following lake is a lagoon in the coastal region of Orissa?
(a) Bhimtal
(b) Barapani
(c) Chilika
(d) Hirakud
Ans. (c)

Q.6. Which one of the following lakes is a saltwater lake? (Important)
(a) Wular Lake
(b) Sambhar Lake
(c) Barapani Lake
(d) Dal Lake
Q.7. The Amravati, Bhavani, Hemavati and Kabinifollowing rivers?
(a) Wainganga
(b) Bhima
(c) Dhuadhar
(d) Hundru
Ans. (b)
Q.8. Which of the following rivers rises from the slopes of the Western Ghats in the Nasik district of Maharashtra?
(a) Mahanadi
(b) Narmada
(c) Godavari
(d) Koyna
Ans. (c)
Q.9. Which of the following states is not drained by the Godavari river?
(a) Maharashtra
(b) Orissa
(c) Andhra Pradesh
(d) Chhattisgarh
Ans. (d)
Q.10. Which of the following rivers is not a tributary of river Godavari?
(a) Purna
(b) Ghatprabha
(c) Wardha
(d) Pranhita
Ans. (b)
Q.11. Which of the following rivers is known as the ‘Dakshin Ganga’? 

(a) The Godavari
(b) The Narmada
(c) The Krishna
(d) The Kaveri
Ans. (a)
Q.12. At which place do the Satluj, Beas, Ravi, Chenab and the Jhelum rivers goin together with Indus ?
(a) Ambala
(b) Mithankot
(c) Wardha
(d) Bhima
Ans. (c)
Q.13. In which of the following states is Sambhar Lake situated ? 
(a) Rajasthan
(b) Uttar Pradesh
(c) Bihar
(d) Jammu and Kashmir
Ans. (a)
14. Which kind of a drainage pattern is formed when tributaries join rivers at almost right angles ? 
(a) Dendritic drainage
(b) Trellis drainage
(c) Rectangular drainage
(d) Radial drainage
Ans. (b)
Q.15. Which of the two states does river Kaveri pass through ? (CBSE 2010)
(a) Kerala and Karnataka
(b) Karnataka and Tamil Nadu
(c) Kerala and Tamil Nadu
(d) Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu
Ans. (b)
Q.16. The River Mahanadi rises from which one of the following states ? 
(a) Madhya Pradesh
(b) Chhattisgarh
(c) Jharkhand
(d) West Bengal
Ans. (b)
Q.17. Which one of the following statements about the river Narmada is not true ?
(a) It flows through a rift velly
(b) It flows through a gorge near Jabalpur
(c) It plunges over steep rocks at the Dhuadhar falls
(d) Its tributaries are Tungabhadra and Musi
Q.18. Which river in the following does not make a Delta? 
(a) Narmada
(b) Kaveri
(c) Godavari
(d) Mahanadi
Ans. (a)
Q.19. Which one of the following rivers flows towards the west in a rift valley? 
(a) Godavari
(b) Narmada
(c) Kaveri
(d) Krishna
Ans. (b)
Q.20. Sivasamudram, the second biggest waterfall of India is made by which river :
[2010 (T­I)]
(a) Krishna
(b) Kaveri
(c) Godavari
(d) Mahanadi
Ans. (c)
Q.21. The river Indus originates in : [2010 (T­I)]
(a) Nepal
(b) Bhutan
(c) Tibet
(d) Bangladesh

Ans. (c)
Q.22. Which is the longest river of Peninsular Plateau? [2010 (T­1)]
(a) River Narmada
(b) River Tapi
(c) River Krishna
(d) River Godavari
Ans. (d)
Q.23. Which of these Peninsular rivers flows towards the west? [2010 (T­1)]
(a) Godavari
(b) Krishna
(c) Mahanadi
(d) Tapi
Ans. (d)
Q.24. Which one of the following lakes differs from the rest in the group? [2010 (T­1)]
(a) The Dal lake
(b) The Nainital Lake
(c) The Guru Gobinda Sagar
(d) The Bhimtal Lake
Ans. (c)
Q.25. Which is the largest freshwater lake in India? [2010 (T­1)]
(a) Wular Lake
(b) Dal Lake
(c) Bhimtal
(d) Nainital
Ans. (a)

Krishna and Godavari 

Ganga and Brahmaputra 

Amarkantak hills 

Brahmaputra 

1 The Sunderban Delta is the worlds’ largest and the fastest growing delta.

2.  Filled by various tributaries, the river Ganga reaches West Bengal.

3. The Sunderban Delta derived its name the Sundri tree which grows well in marshland.

4. It is also the home of Royal Bengal tiger. 

1. The term drainage means the river system of an area. It is a system of flowing water from the higher level to lower level. 2. Some small streams flowing from different directions come together to form the main river, which ultimately drains in to a large water body.

3. The area drained by a single river system is called a drainage basin. 

1. Water Divide is an elevated area or uplands which separate two drainage basins.

2. Such uplands or elevated areas are known as Water Divide.

3. ‘Ambala’ is located at the water divide between the Indus and Ganga River.

4. It does not receive water from either of the two rivers. 

1. Bhagirathi is the headwater of Ganga which is fed by the Gangotri Glacier. It is joined by the Alknanda at Deveprayag in Uttaranchal.  

2. The Ganga emerges from mountains on to the plains at Haridwar.

3. The Ganga is joined by many tributaries from Himalayas including major rivers such as the Yamuna, the Kosi, the Ghaghara and Gandak.  

4. The Chambal, the Betwa and the Son are the main tributaries coming from the peninsular uplands 

1. The Brahmaputra originates in Tibet east of Mansarowar Lake very close to the sources of the Indus and the Sutlej.  

2. It is joined by many tributaries including the Dibangm the Lohit, the Kenula to form the Brahmaputra in Assam. 

1. The areas along the banks of rivers have witnessed great cultural and economic progress since ancient times. Rivers are integral part of our folklore and folk songs.  

2. Water from the rivers is basic natural resource, essential for human, agricultural and industrial activities.

3. Rivers and their associated alluvial soils provide the most productive agricultural lands of country. Irrigation and generation of hydraulic energy from rivers have been backbone of the development if an economy.

4. Industrial development has flourished along rivers as many industrial processes rely on water-as a raw material, as a coolant and for the generation of hydraulic energy.

5. Rivers provide primary channels of inland transportation, not only directly in the form of navigable waterways. 
 

1. Lakes help to regulate the flow of water.

2. During heavy rainfall it prevents flooding and during the dry season it helps to maintain an even flow of water.

3. Lakes can also be used for developing hydraulic power.

4. Lakes are valuable source of water.

5. Lakes moderate the climate of the surrounding, maintain the aquatic ecosystem, enhance natural beauty, helps to develop tourism and provide recreation.