Ganga River System: Origin, Map, Tributaries of Ganga River

Ganga River System: Origin, Map, Tributaries of Ganga River

Ganga River System: The Ganga is the most important river of India both from the point of view of its basin and cultural significance. The Ganga basin covers about 8.6 lakh sq. km area in India alone. The Ganga River has a length of 2,525 km. It is shared by Uttarakhand (110 km) and Uttar Pradesh (1,450 km), Bihar (445 km) and West Bengal (520 km).

The Ganga river system is the largest in India having a number of perennial and non-perennial rivers originating in the Himalayas in the north and the Peninsula in the south, respectively.

You can also check – Geography Notes for UPSC

Origin of Ganga River

It rises in the Gangotri glacier near Gaumukh (3,900 m) in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. Here, it is known as the Bhagirathi.

Ganga River System – Course

• It cuts through the Central and the Lesser Himalayas in narrow gorges.
• At Devprayag, the Bhagirathi meets the Alaknanda; hereafter, it is known as the Ganga.
• The Alaknanda has its source in the Satopanth glacier above Badrinath.
• The Alaknanda consists of the Dhauli and the Vishnu Ganga which meet at Joshimath or Vishnu Prayag.
• The other tributaries of Alaknanda such as the Pindar joins it at Karna Prayag while Mandakini or Kali Ganga meets it at Rudra Prayag.
• The Ganga enters the plains at Haridwar.
• From here, it flows first to the south, then to the south-east and east before splitting into two distributaries, namely the Bhagirathi and the Padma.
• The Son is its major right bank tributary. The important left bank tributaries are the Ramganga, the Gomati, the Ghaghara, the Gandak, the Kosi and the Mahananda. The river finally discharges itself into the Bay of Bengal near the Sagar Island.

Ganga River Map

Ganga River Map is given below

The Five Prayags of Ganga River

Tributaries of Ganga River

Left Bank Tributaries of Ganga	Right Bank Tributaries of Ganga
Ramganga River Ghaghra River Kali River Gandak River Burhi Gandak Kosi River	Yamuna River Chambal River Banas River Sind River Betwa River Ken River Son River

Right Bank Tributaries of Ganga

• Major Right Bank Tributaries of Ganga are – Yamuna, Chambal, Banas, Sind, Betwa, Ken, and Son.
• Most of them except Yamuna originate in the peninsular region.

The Yamuna River

The Yamuna, the western most and the longest tributary of the Ganga, has its source in the Yamunotri glacier on the western slopes of Banderpunch range (6,316 km).

• It joins the Ganga at Prayag (Allahabad).
• It is joined by the Chambal, the Sind, the Betwa and the Ken on its right bank which originates from the Peninsular plateau while the Hindan, the Rind, the Sengar, the Varuna, etc. join it on its left bank.
• Much of its water feeds the western and eastern Yamuna and the Agra canals for irrigation purposes.
• It cuts across the Nag Tibba, the Mussoorie and the Shiwalik ranges.
• It unites with the Ganga near Triveni Sangam, Allahabad.
• The total length of the Yamuna from its origin till Allahabad is 1,376 km.
• It creates the highly fertile alluvial, Yamuna-Ganges Doab region between itself and the Ganges in the Indo-Gangetic plain.

Tributaries of Yamuna River

Non – Peninsular Tributaries	Peninsular Tributaries
1.   Rishiganga 2.   Uma 3.   Hanuman Ganga 4.   Tons – join it in the mountains. 5.   Hindon – joins at Ghaziabad in the plain area	Most of the Peninsular rivers flow into the Yamuna between Agra and Allahabad. 1.   Chambal 2.   Sind 3.   Betwa 4.   Ken.

The Chambal River

• The Chambal rises near Mhow in the Malwa plateau of Madhya Pradesh – In the Singar Chouri peak in of Janapao Hills (700 m) in the Vindhyan Range.
• It flows northwards through a gorge upwards of Kota in Rajasthan,
  • Here the Gandhisagar dam has been constructed.
• From Kota, it traverses down to Bundi, Sawai Madhopur and Dholpur, and finally joins the Yamuna.
• The Chambal is famous for its badland topography called the Chambal ravines.
• It joins the Yamuna in Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh.
• The total length of the river is 1,050 km.
• Tributaries: Banas, Kali Sindh, Parbati.
• Main Power Projects/ Dam: Gandhi Sagar Dam, Rana Pratap Sagar Dam, Jawahar Sagar Dam, and Kota Barrage.
• The National Chambal Sanctuary is located along river Chambal on the tri-junction of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. It is known for critically endangered gharial, the red-crowned roof turtle, and the endangered Ganges river dolphin.

Dams on the Chambal River

1. The Gandhi Sagar dam – located on the Rajasthan-Madhya Pradesh border.
2. The Rana Pratap Sagar – located 52 km downstream of Gandhi Sagar dam on across the Chambal River in Chittorgarh district in Rajasthan.
3. The Jawahar Sagar Dam – third dam in the series of Chambal Valley Projects, located 29 km upstream of Kota city and 26 km downstream of Rana Pratap Sagar dam.
4. The Kota Barrage – fourth in the series of Chambal Valley Projects, located about 0.8 km upstream of Kota City in Rajasthan.
5. Water released after power generation at Gandhi Sagar dam, Rana Pratap Sagar dam and Jawahar Sagar Dams, is diverted by Kota Barrage for irrigation in Rajasthan and in Madhya Pradesh through canals.

Keoladeo National Park is supplied with water from Chambal river irrigation project.

Banas River

• The Banas is a tributary of the Chambal.
• It originates in the southern part of the Aravali Range.
• It join the Chambal on Rajasthan – Madhya Pradesh border near Sawai Madhopur.

Sind River

• The Sind originates in Vidisha Plateau of Madhya Pradesh.
• It flows for a distance of 415 km before it joins the Yamuna.

Betwa River

• The Betwa rises in Bhopal district (Vindhyan Range) and joins the Yamuna
• It has a total length of 590 km.
• The Dhasan is its important tributary.

Ken River

• The Ken river rising from the Barner Range of Madhya Pradesh joins the Yamuna near Chila.

The Son River

The Son is a large south bank tributary of the Ganga, originating in the Amarkantak plateau. After forming a series of waterfalls at the edge of the plateau, It joins the Ganga at Arrah near Danapur in Patna district of Bihar.

• Its source is close to the origin of the Narmada.
• It passes along the Kaimur Range.
• It flows for a distance of 784 km from its source.
• The important tributaries of the Son are the Johilla, the Gopat, the Rihand, the Kanhar and the North Koel. Almost all the tributaries join it on its right bank.

The Damodar River

• The Damodar river rises in the hills of the Chotanagpur plateau and flows through a rift valley.
  • The valley is called “the Ruhr of India”.
  • Rich in mineral resources, the valley is home to large-scale mining and industrial activity.
• It has a number of tributaries and sub tributaries, such as Barakar, Konar, Bokaro, Haharo, etc.
  • The Barakar is the most important tributary of the Damodar.
• Several dams have been constructed in the valley, for the generation of hydroelectric power.
• The first dam was built across the Barakar River, a tributary of the Damodar river.
• It used to cause devastating floods as a result of which it earned the name ‘Sorrow of Bengal’. Now the river is tamed by constructing numerous dams.
• It joins the Hugli River 48 km below Kolkata.
• The total length of the river is 541 km.

Left Bank Tributaries of Ganga

• The major Left Bank Tributaries of Ganga – are Ramganga, Gomati, Ghaghra, Gandak, Burhi Gandak, Bagmati, and Kosi.
• These rivers originate in the Himalayas.

The Ramganga River

• The Ramganga river rises in the Garhwal district of Uttarakhand (Dudhatoli Hill).
• It enters the Ganga Plain near Kalagarh.
• It joins the Ganga near Kannauj
• important tributaries of Ramganga are – The Khoh, the Gangan, the Aril, the Kosi, and the Deoha (Gorra).
• It also flows through the dun valley of Corbett National Park.

Gomti River

• It originates from Gomat Taal which formally is known as Fulhaar jheel, near Madho Tanda, Pilibhit in UP.
• It extends 900km through UP and meets the Ganges River in Ghazipur.
• At the Sangam of Gomti and Ganga, the famous Markandey Mahadeo temple is situated.
• The most important tributary is the Sai River, which joins near Jaunpur
• The cities of Lucknow, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sultanpur and Jaunpur are located on the banks of Gomti

The Gandak River

The Gandak comprises two streams, namely Kaligandak and Trishulganga. It rises in the Nepal Himalayas between the Dhaulagiri and Mount Everest and drains the central part of Nepal. It enters the Ganga plain in Champaran district of Bihar and joins the Ganga at Sonpur near Patna.

• Originates near the Tibet-Nepal border at a height of 7,620 m
• It receives a large number of tributaries in Nepal Himalaya.
• Its important tributaries are the Kali Gandak, the Mayangadi, the Bari and the Trishuli.
• It debouches into the plains at
• It flows into Ganga at Hajipur in Bihar.

Burhi Gandak

• Originates from the western slopes of Sumesar hills near the India-Nepal border.
• It joins the Ganga near Monghyr town.

The Ghaghara River

• Its source is near Gurla Mandhata peak, south of Manasarovar in Tibet (river of the trans-Himalayan origin) in the glaciers of Mapchachungo.
• It is known as the Karnaili in Western Nepal.
• After collecting the waters of its tributaries – Tila, Seti and Beri, it comes out of the mountain, cutting a deep gorge at Shishapani.
  • Its important tributaries are the Sarda, the Saryu (Ayodhya is located on its bank) and the Rapti.
• The river Sarda (Kali or Kali Ganga) joins it in the plain before it finally meets the Ganga at Chhapra.
• After reaching the plain area, its stream gets divided into many branches of which, Koriyab and Garwa are important.
• The river bed is sandy and sudden bends start occurring in the stream.
• The river has a high flood frequency and has shifted its course several times.

The Kosi River

The Kosi is an antecedent river with its source to the north of Mount Everest in Tibet, where its main stream Arun rises. After crossing the Central Himalayas in Nepal, it is joined by the Son Kosi from the West and the Tamur Kosi from the east. It forms Sapt Kosi after uniting with the river Arun.

• The Kosi river consists of seven streams namely Sut Kosi, Tamba Kosi, Talkha, Doodh Kosi, Botia Kosi, Arun and Tamber
• These streams flow through eastern Nepal which is known as the Sapt Kaushik region.
• The sources of seven streams of the Kosi are located in snow covered areas which also receive heavy rainfall.
• Consequently, huge volume of water flows with tremendous speed.
• Seven streams mingle with each other to form three streams named the Tumar, Arun and Sun Kosi.
• They unite at Triveni north of the Mahabharata Range to form the Kosi.
• The river enters the Tarai of Nepal after cutting a narrow gorge in the Mahabharata Range.
• Soon after debouching onto the plain the river becomes sluggish.
• Large scale deposition of eroded material takes place in the plain region.
• The river channel is braided and it shifts its course frequently. This has resulted in frequent devastating floods and has converted large tracts of cultivable land into waste land in Bihar. Thus the river is often termed as the ‘Sorrow of Bihar’.
• In order to tame this river, a barrage was constructed in 1965 near Hanuman Nagar in Nepal.
• Embankments for flood control have been constructed as a joint venture of India and Nepal.

Kali River

• Rises in the high glaciers of trans-Himalaya.
• It forms the boundary between Nepal and Kumaon.
• It is known as the Sarda after it reaches the plains near Tanakpur.
• It joins the

The Sarda or Saryu River

The Sarda or Saryu river rises in the Milam glacier in the Nepal Himalayas where it is known as the Goriganga. Along the Indo-Nepal border, it is called Kali or Chauk, where it joins the Ghaghara.

The Mahananda River

The Mahananda is another important tributary of the Ganga rising in the Darjiling hills. It joins the Ganga as its last left bank tributary in West Bengal.

Ganga–Brahmaputra Delta

• Before entering the Bay of Bengal, the Ganga, along with the Brahmaputra, forms the largest delta of the world between the Bhagirathi/Hugli and the Padma/Meghna covering an area of 58,752 sq km.
• The coastline of the delta is a highly indented area.
• The delta is made of a web of distributaries and islands and is covered by dense forests called the
• A major part of the delta is a low-lying swamp that is flooded by marine water during high tide.

Namami Gange Yojana

• Namami Gange Project or Namami Ganga Yojana is an ambitious Union Government Project which integrates the efforts to clean and protect the Ganga river in a comprehensive manner.
• It its maiden budget, the government announced Rs. 2037 Crore towards this mission.
• The project is officially known as the Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission project or ‘Namami Ganga Yojana’. This project aims at Ganga Rejuvenation by combining the existing ongoing efforts and planning under it to create a concrete action plan for the future.
• It is being operated under the Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.
• It has an Rs. 20,000-crore, centrally-funded, non-lapsable corpus and consists of nearly 288 projects.
• Will cover 8 states, 47 towns & 12 rivers under the project.
• Over 1,632-gram panchayats on the banks of Ganga to be made open defecation-free by 2022.
• Several ministries are working with the nodal Water Resources Ministry for this project includes – Environment, Urban Development, Shipping, Tourism & Rural Development Ministries.
• The prime focus will be on involving people living on the river’s banks in this project.
• The program is being implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), and its state counterpart organizations i.e., State Program ManagementGroups (SPMGs).
  • NMCG is the implementation wing of National Ganga Council (set in 2016; which replaced the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NRGBA).
• Setting river centric urban planning process to facilitate better citizen connects, through interventions at Ghats and Riverfronts.
• Expansion of coverage of sewerage infrastructure in 118 urban habitations on banks of Ganga.
• Enforcement of Ganga specific River Regulatory Zones.
• Development of rational agricultural practices & efficient irrigation methods.
• Setting Ganga Knowledge Centre.
• Pollution will be checked through
• Treatment of wastewater in drains by applying the bio-remediation method.
• Treatment of wastewater through in-situ treatment.
• Treatment of wastewater by the use of innovative technologies.
• Treatment of wastewater through municipal sewage & effluent treatment plants.
• Introducing immediate measures to arrest the inflow of sewage.
• Introducing PPP approach for pollution control.
• Introduction of 4-battalion of Territorial Army Ganga Eco-Task Force.

Other Initiatives Taken

• Ganga Action Plan: It was the first River Action Plan that was taken up by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in 1985, to improve the water quality by the interception, diversion, and treatment of domestic sewage.
  • The National River Conservation Plan is an extension to the Ganga Action Plan. It aims at cleaning the Ganga river under Ganga Action Plan phase-2.
• National River Ganga Basin Authority (NRGBA): It was formed by the Government of India in the year 2009 under Section-3 of the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
  • It declared the Ganga as the ‘National River’ of India.
• Clean Ganga Fund: In 2014, it was formed for cleaning up of the Ganga, setting up of waste treatment plants, and conservation of biotic diversity of the river.
• Bhuvan-Ganga Web App: It ensures the involvement of the public in the monitoring of pollution entering into the river Ganga.
• Ban on Waste Disposal: In 2017, the National Green Tribunal banned the disposal of any waste in the Ganga.

Schemes Associated With Ganga River

Here are the some important schemes associated with the Ganga river for the UPSC Exam;

Schemes	Description
Ganga Action Plan (Phase I)	It was the first major scheme launched by the Indian Government in 1985 to clean the Ganga River.
National Mission for Clean Ganga or NMCG	It is a comprehensive programme approved in 2014, aimed at cleaning the Ganga River and its tributaries.
Namami Gange Programme	Launched in 2014, It is a flagship programme of the Indian Government aimed at cleaning and rejuvenating the Ganga River.
National Ganga River Basin Projects (NGRBP)	It is a World Bank-funded project ($1 billion) that is aimed at restoring the ecological health of the Ganga river basin. The current focus of the NGRBP is on five major states on the main stem of the Ganga river, namely Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, and West Bengal. The project aims to improve the water quality of the Ganga river, strengthen water resource management, and promote sustainable livelihoods for communities that live in the basin. The NGRBP is implemented under the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG).
Jal Marg Vikas Project or JMVP	It is a flagship initiative of the Indian Government that aims to develop an inland waterway on the Ganga River, which will enable the transportation of goods and passengers.

Ganga River System UPSC

Question – Which of the following are the key features of ‘National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA)’?

1. The river basin is the unit of planning and management.
2. It superheads the river conservation efforts at the national level.
3. One of the Chief Ministers of the States through which the Ganga flows becomes the Chairman of NGRBA on a rotation basis.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Ganga River System Notes

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