Down the Rivers of India Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Ganges

The Bhagirathi is fed by the Gangotri Glacier at Gomukh. The Bhagirathi and the Alaknanda meet at Devaprayag, in the state of Uttarakhand, to form the Ganges. The Ganges emerges from the mountains and onto the plains at Haridwar in Uttarakhand. The Ganges drains most of the Northern Plains.

In its upper course, it erodes the soil and rocks as its speed is high, and as a result, the river carries a lot of silt. The Ganges has the largest drainage basin in India.

Answer: The Son

The Ganges has several left and right bank tributaries. Important left bank tributaries are the Gandak, the Ghaghara and the Kosi Rivers, all of which emerge from the Nepalese Himalayas. The Yamuna is the only major right bank tributary arising from the Garwhal Himalayas (from the Yamunotri Glacier to be precise).

Other right bank tributaries of the Ganges River system include the Chambal, Beta, Sind, Ken and Son Rivers. These arise in the peninsular uplands and do not carry a very large volume of water. Among them, the Chambal, Betwa, Ken and Sind Rivers join the Yamuna, which then flows into the Ganges near Allahabad in Utter Pradesh. Enlarged by the waters of its tributaries, the Ganges flows eastwards till Farakka in West Bengal where it bifurcates. Farakka is the northernmost point of the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta.

The Ganges flows into the Bay of Bengal after it enters Bangladesh. The distributary Bhagirathi - Hooghly River flows through West Bengal.

Answer: The Brahmaputra

After emerging from its source, the River Tsangpo flows eastwards, parallel to the Himalayas, and enters Arunachal Pradesh through a gorge by making an U-turn. Here it is known as the Dihang and is joined by tributaries like the Dibang. In Assam, the river finally gets its name of Brahmaputra.

It has a braided channel and forms riverine islands like Majuli, the world's largest inhabited riverine island. It enters Bangladesh where it is called the Jamuna. The Ganges is known there as the Padma. The Padma and the Jamuna merge to form the Meghna.

The Ganges and the Brahmaputra form the Sunderbans delta, or the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta, famous for the royal Bengal tiger. It is also the world's largest and fastest growing mangrove forest. The Brahmaputra flows into the Bay of Bengal.

Answer: The Narmada

The Narmada rises in the Amarkantak Hills in Madhya Pradesh. Apart from the Tapi, it is the only large river flowing westwards. It flows west through a rift valley. Its tributaries are very short, joining the rivers at approximately right angles to form a trellis pattern. The Narmada basin covers Madhya Pradesh, parts of Gujarat, and Maharashtra. It flows into the Arabian Sea.

Answer: The Indus

The Indus rises near Lake Mansarovar in Tibet, flows west and enters India through the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Here, it creates many picturesque gorges. It is here that it is joined by the aforesaid tributaries. Then, the Indus enters Pakistan. Its five main tributaries, notably the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Satluj Rivers, together join the Indus near Mithankot in Pakistan.

The Indus then flows south and enters the Arabian Sea east of Karachi.

Answer: The Damodar

The Chhota Nagpur Plateau, an extension of the Peninsular plateau, mostly covers the state of Jharkhand. This region is extremely rich in minerals like coal and iron, and this has led to industrial development. The Damodar River floods flow eastwards from its source, draining the state of West Bengal.

It floods its banks every year, causing widespread damage to property and the populace. Hence, it is also called 'the Sorrow of Bengal'.

Answer: The Godavari

The Godavari is the largest river of peninsular India. It rises from the slopes of the Western Ghats in the Nasik district of Maharashtra. Its drainage basin is also the largest in peninsular India. It is joined by several tributaries like the Purna, the Wardha, the Pranhita, the Manjra, the Weinganga and the Penganga.

The last three are very large. The Godavari drainage basin is spread over the states of Maharsahtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Seemandhra (Andhra Pradesh).

Answer: The Sharavathi

The Jog Falls is located in Karnataka. The highest plunge waterfall in India is Nohkalikai Falls in Meghalaya. The Jog Falls has four main segments - Raja (the broadest - meaning 'King'), Rani (the narrowest - meaning 'queen'), Rocket and Rover. Nearby, the Sharavathi is dammed at Linganamakki.

Answer: The Luni

The Indian desert is located to the west of the Aravalli Hills. The desert is dominated by sand dunes. Several other streams also appear here during the monsoon, but due to the sandy soil, these streams cannot enter into the sea - they dry up as their water seeps into the soil.

The desert is a dry region with less than 150 mm of annual rainfall. The Luni drains into the marshy Rann of Kutch (or Kachchh) in Gujarat. The river has a high salinity. The tributaries are quite short.

Answer: The Kaveri

The Kaveri rises from the Brahmagiri slopes of the Western Ghats and flows into the Bay of Bengal south of Cuddalore, in Tamil Nadu. Its basin covers Kerala, Tamil Nadu and parts of Karnataka. The Kaveri is also responsible for creating the Sivasamudram Falls, used for the generation of hydroelectricity supplied to the city of Mysore and Kolar Gold Field.