Ganga drainage system

 Ganga river drainage system

The system formed by the flowing water following the prescribed waterways is called drainage system or river system.

1. The main stream of the Ganges 'Bhagirathi' originates from the Gangotri glacier and the Alaknanda river originates from the Satopanth glacier near Badrinath.
2. The Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers meet at Dev Prayag in Uttarakhand and from there it is known as the Ganges River.
3. Near Haridwar, the Ganges leaves the mountainous part and enters the plains.
4. Many rivers originating from the Himalayas come and join the Ganges, some of these major rivers are Yamuna, Ghaghra, Gandak and Kosi.
5. The Yamuna river originates from the Yamunotri glacier of the Himalayas. It flows parallel to the right bank of the Ganges and joins the Ganges at Allahabad (Prayagraj).
6. The Ghaghara, Gandak and Kosi originate from the Nepal Himalayas. They cause floods in some parts of the northern plain every year, causing widespread loss of life and property, but these are the rivers that make the soil fertile and arable land.
7. The main tributaries coming from the peninsular highlands are Chambal, Betwa and Son. They originate from semi-arid regions. Their length is short and the amount of water in them is also less.
8. Filled with water from the left and right bank tributaries, the Ganges flows in an easterly direction up to Farakka in West Bengal.
9. It is the northernmost point of the Ganges Delta. Here the river splits into two parts, the Bhagirathi Hooghly (which is one of its distributaries), flows southwards and joins the Bay of Bengal through the plain of the delta. The main stream flows south and enters Bangladesh and joins the Brahmaputra river. In the final stage the Ganges and the Brahmaputra are known as Meghna before merging into the ocean. This great river containing the waters of Ganga and Brahmaputra joins the Bay of Bengal. The delta formed by these rivers is known as Sundarban delta.
10. The name of the Sundarbans delta is derived from the Sundari plant found there.
11. The Sundarbans Delta is the largest and fastest growing delta in the world. Royal Bengal tigers are also found here.