Geography Important Rivers Of India
📌 Important Rivers of India – RRB Quick-Revision
🗺️ River Systems @ a Glance
| System | Direction | % Basin Area | Major States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Himalayan | E → W → Bay of Bengal | 42 % | HP, Punjab, UP, Bihar, WB |
| Peninsular | W → E → Bay / W → Arabian Sea | 58 % | MP, MH, Chh, Odisha, AP, KA, TN, KL |
📏 Length & Rankings (Top-7)
| Rank | River | Length (km) | Origin | Falls in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ganga | 2,525 | Gangotri Glacier | Bay of Bengal |
| 2 | Godavari | 1,465 | Triambak (MH) | Bay of Bengal |
| 3 | Krishna | 1,400 | Mahabaleshwar | Bay of Bengal |
| 4 | Yamuna | 1,376 | Yamunotri | Ganga @ Allahabad |
| 5 | Narmada | 1,312 | Amarkantak | Arabian Sea |
| 6 | Indus | *1,114 (in India) | Mansarovar | Arabian Sea |
| 7 | Brahmaputra | *916 (in India) | Chemayungdung | Bay of Bengal |
Only Indian stretch counted.
🏞️ Peninsular Rivers – Left-bank vs Right-bank Tributaries
| River | Left (L) / Right (R) – Trick |
|---|---|
| Godavari | L – Pranhita, Indravati; R – Manjira, Sabari → “L-PIS R-MS” |
| Krishna | L – Bhima, Dindi; R – Ghatprabha, Malprabha, Tungabhadra → “L-BD R-GMT” |
| Kaveri | L – Harangi, Hemavati, Shimsha; R – Amaravati, Noyyal → “L-HHS R-AN” |
🌊 West-Flowing (Arabian Sea) – Short & Swift
| River | State | Unique Fact |
|---|---|---|
| Narmada | MP–Guj | Creates ‘Marble Rocks’ Bhedaghat; 1,312 km |
| Tapti | MP–MH–Guj | Only major river wholly inside Deccan plateau |
| Sabarmati | Rajasthan–Guj | Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram |
| Mahi | MP–Raj–Guj | Anas & Mahi dams famous |
Trick:
“NTSM” – Narmada-Tapti-Sabarmati-Mahi (alphabetical order → all Arabian Sea)
🌏 East-Flowing (Bay of Bengal) – Long & Deltaic
| River | Delta Name | Joint Delta? |
|---|---|---|
| Ganga | Ganga-Brahmaputra | World’s largest delta |
| Godavari | Godavari delta | – |
| Krishna | Krishna delta | – |
| Mahanadi | Mahanadi delta | – |
| Kaveri | Kaveri delta | ‘Garden of S.India’ |
🚧 Major River Projects (RRB Favourite)
| Dam | River | State | Year | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhakra | Sutlej | HP-Punjab | 1963 | ‘New Temple of India’ – Nehru |
| Hirakud | Mahanadi | Odisha | 1957 | Longest dam in India (25.8 km) |
| Tehri | Bhagirathi | Uttarakhand | 2006 | Highest dam (260.5 m) |
| Sardar Sarovar | Narmada | Gujarat | 2017 | Largest in Narmada valley |
| Alamatti | Krishna | Karnataka | 2005 | Highest dam in S.India (height 51 m) |
🧠 Mnemonics
- 7 West-flowing rivers (Gujarat focus) → “Tapi Sab Mahi Narmada per Luni Rupen”
Tapti, Sabarmati, Mahi, Narmada, Luni, Rupen - Ganga tributaries sequence (top to bottom) → “Yamuna, Son, Gandak, Kosi, Damodar” → YS-GKD (like a competitive exam code!)
🔢 High-Frequency Numbers to Memorise
- Ganga length (India) – 2,525 km
- Godavari basin area – 3.13 lakh km² (largest peninsular)
- Indus in India – 1,114 km (total 3,180)
- Brahmaputra in India – 916 km (total 2,900)
- Narmada length – 1,312 km
- % Indian land drained by Himalayan rivers – ~26 % but carry 60 % of total water
🔎 10 Likely RRB MCQs – Quick Test
-
Which is the longest peninsular river?
A) Krishna B) Godavari C) Mahanadi D) Kaveri
Ans: B) Godavari -
The Marble Rocks are formed by which river?
A) Tapti B) Narmada C) Sabarmati D) Luni
Ans: B) Narmada -
Match:
P) Tehri 1) Mahanadi
Q) Hirakud 2) Bhagirathi
R) Bhakra 3) Sutlej
Ans: P-2, Q-1, R-3 -
Which river forms the world’s largest delta?
Ans: Ganga-Brahmaputra combined -
Highest dam in India (260 m)?
Ans: Tehri Dam -
The river that flows Rift Valley in central India?
Ans: Narmada (and Tapti) -
Only peninsular river that runs westward for its entire major course?
Ans: Narmada -
Kaveri originates in which hill range?
Ans: Brahmagiri range (Western Ghats, Kodagu) -
Indus enters India in which state?
Ans: Jammu & Kashmir (Ladakh) -
The ‘Sorrow of Bihar’ is which river?
Ans: Kosi
🎯 Last-day tip: Revise the length table & dam facts twice—they are sure-shot MCQs in every RRB shift!
BETA
