Drainage Systems in the Peninsular India

Drainage Systems in the Peninsular India 

(i) Towards the Bay of Bengal: The rivers Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery flow southeast into the Bay of Bengal. 

(ii) Towards the Ganga: The rivers originating from the northern or Vindhyan edge of the plateau fall into the Ganga. These rivers are Chambal, Betwa and Son. 

(iii) Towards the Arabian Sea: The major river systems which drain into the Arabian Sea are Sabarmati, Narmada, Tapti and rivers of the west coast farther south.

The Major Peninsular Rivers

A. The East Flowing Rivers:

These are the rivers that flow east, eventually reaching the Bay of Bengal. They are greater in number than the west-flowing rivers, have larger catchment areas, and form large deltas. The Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, and Cauvery (Kaveri) rivers are among them.

B. The West Flowing Rivers:

The west flowing rivers of the Peninsular India are smaller and fewer in number. These Peninsular Rivers fall into the Arabian Sea.  They do not form deltas; instead, they form estuaries. This is due to the fact that the west-flowing rivers, particularly the Narmada and the Tapti (Tapi), flow through hard rocks and are unable to form distributaries before entering the Arabian Sea. The Luni, Sabarmati, and Mahi are the other west-flowing rivers. Apart from the rivers mentioned above, the Peninsular plateau has a large number of coastal streams that drain the narrow coastal plains. There are up to 600 tiny streams that drain the western face of the Western Ghats alone. The plains of these streams are narrow and their beds have a generally steep slope.