List of East and West flowing rivers in India with their characteristics
More than 90 per cent of India's total surface run-off flows into the Bay of Bengal and the rest into the Arabian Sea. Only small area in Rajasthan has internal drainage. The drainage systems flowing into the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal are separated by a water divide extending approximately along the Western Ghats, Aravallis and Yamuna Sutlej divide. The Indian Drainage System is distinguished as Himalayan Drainage System and Peninsular Drainage System. The Himalayan Rivers are mostly perennial and youth having gorges, V-shaped valley and depositional features like deltas whereas Peninsular Rivers are seasonal and do not have extensive network of tributaries. Here, we are giving general knowledge list of the east and west flowing rivers with their characteristics.
Himalayan Rivers are emerged from the glaciers pass through huge depressions and meanders in plains. Only River Indus is the exceptions which flow from north to south. Most of the peninsular rivers flow eastward because their main water divide is Western Ghats. Only Narmada and Tapi are the exceptions which flow from east to west in the rift valleys not formed by them. The list of the east and west flowing rivers of India with their characteristics is given below:
List of the east and west flowing rivers of India with their characteristics
East Flowing Rivers |
West Flowing Rivers |
Have large catchment areas and form deltas not estuary |
Form estuaries and not deltas |
Flows towards Bay of Bengal |
Flows towards Arabian Sea |
77 per cent of the drainage area of the country is flows towards the Bay of Bengal |
23 per cent of the drainage area of the country is flows towards the Arabian sea |
The Ganga, the Brahmaputra, the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna, the Cauvery, the Penneru, the Penneiyar, the Vaigai, and the Subarnarekha. |
The Indus, the Narmada, the Tapi, the Sabarmati, the Mahi, the Ghagghar, the Luni, the Saravati, the Pumba, the Periyar, the Bharatpuja and the large number of swift flowing western coast rivers descending from the Sahyadris. |
List of Towns situated on the Banks of River
Many of the rivers are older than Himalayas and cut across it whereas peninsular drainage is much older and includes numerous rivers. Rivers of peninsular are matured with almost graded profiles and mostly super-imposed in nature i.e. follow the gradient or fault valley. These are devoid of meanders and have fixed course unlike Himalayan drainage. In the above list gives complete revision capsule of general knowledge related to the characteristics of east and west flowing rivers in India.