The Ganga River System


 
 
Concept Explanation
 

The Ganga River System

The Ganga River System: This system starts as the Bhagirathi (Headwaters of Ganga) being fed by the Gangotri glacier in Uttarakhand. It is joined by the Alaknanda river at Devaprayag to form the Ganga. At Haridwar, the Ganga emerges from the mountains on to the plains. Many of the Ganga’s tributaries like the Yamuna, Ghaghara, Gandak and Kosi are major rivers which flow down from the Himalayas. The river Yamuna rises from the Yamunotri glacier in the Himalayas. It flows parallel to the Ganga as a right bank tributary. It meets the Ganga at Allahabad. The Ghaghara, the Gandak and the Kosi rise in the Nepal Himalayas. Every year they flood parts of the Northern plains, causing destruction and damage to life and property, but also enriching the soil of agricultural lands. The Ganga’s main tributaries which come from the Peninsular uplands are the Chambal, the Betwa and the Son. These rise from semi-arid areas, have shorter courses and do not carry much water in them. The Ganga flows eastwards till Farakka in West Bengal. Here it divides into two branches and, forms a distributary known as the Bhagirathi-Hooghly (also called Hughli), which flows Southward to Kolkata and the Bay of Bengal. The main stream of the Ganga flows into Bangladesh, where it is joined by the Brahmaputra coming from Assam to form the Meghna. This mighty river system, flows into the Bay of Bengal. This forms the Sunderban delta when it reaches the Bay of Bengal.

Sundarban Delta: It derived its name from the Sundari tree which grows well in marshland. It is the world’s largest and fastest growing delta. It is also the home of the Royal Bengal Tiger. The length of the Ganga is over 2500 km. Ambala is located on the water divide between the Indus and the Ganga river systems. The plains from Ambala to the Sunderban stretch over nearly 1800 km, but the fall in its slope is hardly 300m. The river develops large meanders as there is a fall of just one metre for every 6km.

Sample Questions
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Question : 1

At which of the following places does the Ganga emerge from the mountains on to the plains?

Right Option : C
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Question : 2

Which among the following is not correctly matched?

Right Option : D
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Question : 3

River Damodar is called 'Sorrow of Bengal' because it ________________________

Right Option : A
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