|
|
|
 |
River System of Himachal Pradesh : |
|
|
| The himalayan mountain chain has a dominant influence
on the climatic conditions prevailing over Indian sub-continent.
They lie in the path of rain-bearing monsoon winds and thus bring
rain to a large part of India. The Himalaya houses a vast reservoir
of moisture both in the form of ice, fresh-water and underground
water. The rivers draining the Himalayas sustain life in the Northern
part of the Indian sub-continent. The drainage system of Himalaya
is very complex. It is composed both of rivers and glaciers. Himalayan
river criss-croos the entire mountain chain. In fact a number of
rivers are older than the mountain system. They have cut across the
various mountain ranges. |
|
|
Indus River System : |
|
|
The river Indus rises from the Tibetan plateau and
enters the Himalaya in Ladakh. It enters the Kashmir region near
its confluence with the river Gurtang, at an elevation of about 4200
metres. The drainage basin of the Indus river system extends from
the Naga Parbat mass in the extreme North-Western part of the country
to the Western slopes of the Shimla ridge in Himachal Pradesh. It
includes the whole of Jammu and Kashmir and most of Himachal Pradesh.
The extreme Northern tract of the Indus basin comprises of the cold
desert of Ladakh, Lahaul Spiti and Pooh. South of this tract lies
the higher Himalayan mountain wall. The lower and middle Himalayas
occupy the central part of the Indus basin. The low rolling Shivalik
hills occur along its Southern periphery.
Climatic conditions in the Indus river system vary from arctic to sub-tropical.
The cold desert area remains devoid of rainfall and experiences heavy snowfall.
The important rivers of this system are the Satluj, the Beas, the Ravi, the Chenab
and the Jhelum. Out of these five, four flow through Himachal Pradesh and along
with their tributaries draining parts of Himachal Pradesh. |
|
|
Ganga River System : |
|
|
The drainage basin of the Ganga river system covers
about one third of the Western Himalaya and the entire Central Himalaya.
This basin extends from the Eastern face of the Shimla ridge in Himachal
Pradesh to the South-Western slopes of the Kanchanjunga massif on
the Nepal-Sikkim border, thereby including parts of Kinnaur, Shimla,
Solan and Sirmaur district of Himachal and Garhwal, Kumaun and Nepal.
The Ganga is the most sacred river of India. The story of the Ganga from her
source to sea, from ancient times to the modern period is the story of India's
civilization and culture. The Ganga has its source near Gomukh glacier, near
Gangotri ( Uttar Pradesh ). The Ganga is formed by two head streams namely Alaknanda
and Bhagirathi. It enters the plains near Haridwar. The Yamuna meets this river
at Allahbad known as Sangam. The Ganga is the master stream of the area. South
of Farakka, the river divides into a number of channels to form Sunder Ban Delta
( Largest in the world ). The main tributaries of the Ganga system are the Yamuna,
Bhagirathi and Alaknanda, Kali and its tributaries, the Ghagra, the Gandak and
the Kosi river. The important settlements between its bank are - Haridwar, Kanpur,
Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna and Kolkata. |
|
|
|
|
