Tributaries of Ganga

The Tributaries of Ganga and Ganga River system is India’s largest river system, covering ​​1,086,000 square kilometres. It is composed of many perennial and non-flowing rivers.

In actuality, reverence for the Ganga is fundamental to Indian identity and culture. The tributaries of the Ganga River have a rich history of supporting indigenous culture within its basin, absorbing the civilisation of the Indus-Sarasvati basin, and fostering cultural fusion to develop Indian civilisation.

Ganga Drainage System 

There are four main tributaries of the Ganga River in the drainage system of Ganga:

Alakhnanda River

The Alaknanda River rises at the confluence and feet of the Satopanth and Bhagirath glaciers in Uttarakhand. It meets the Bhagirathi River at Devprayag, where it is known as the Ganga. The Alaknanda River’s main tributaries are the Mandakini, Nandakini, and Pindar rivers. The Alaknanda system drains parts of Uttarakhand’s Chamoli, Tehri, and Pauri districts. The triangular Lake Satopanth is situated at the Alaknanda River’s origin at 4402 metres.

Bhagirathi

The Bhagirathi River joins the Alaknanda at Devprayag to form the Ganga. It rises near Gaumukh at the base of the Gangotri Glacier at an elevation of 3892 metres at the base of Chaukhamba Peak in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district.

The river’s upper watershed is covered in glaciers. Its middle course passes through granites and creates breathtaking gorges and crystal rocks of the Himalayan centre axis.

Dhauliganga

The Dhauliganga River originates in the Dhauliganga Valley and eventually joins the Alaknanda River, which is one of the major headstreams of the Ganges. The ecological significance of Dhauliganga includes maintaining biodiversity and habitat, erosion control, and flood regulation.

The Dhauliganga is one of the tributaries of the Ganges and flows through the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. The confluence of the Dhauliganga and Alaknanda rivers occurs near Vishnuprayag, and from there, the combined flow continues as the Ganges River.

Rishiganga River

It is a river in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district. It emerges from the Nanda Devi Mountain’s Uttari Nanda Devi Glacier. Rishiganga River passes through the National Park of Nanda Devi before joining the Dhauliganga River close to the settlement of Raini.

Ganga River System Map

The Ganga River is spread over 286,000 sq. Km in India, Tibet (China), Nepal, and Bangladesh. This river lies east in 73° 2′ and between 89° and five’N. The Ganga River has a maximum length and width of about 1,543 km and 1024 km, respectively. The Himalayas bounds the river to the north, the Aravalli to the west, the Vindhya and Chotanagpur plains to the south, and the Brahmaputra Plateau to the eastern side of India.

Name the tributaries of River Ganga

A tributary is a small stream whose water, in the end, flows into a bigger river. Water delivery, monsoon water storage, groundwater recharge, nutrient delivery, and sediment shipping are reasons why the tributaries play a great function in preserving the glide of the river Ganga.

Understand this to know how many tributaries of Ganga are there. Any movement that enters a river from the right side is considered by a right-bank tributary, and a left-bank tributary considers any flow that enters from the left.

Right Bank Tributaries of Ganga

Verify whether Yamuna is a Ganga tributary; explore eleven right-bank tributaries:

• Yamuna: Yamuna is the largest tributary of the Ganga and one of the right bank tributaries of the Ganga. It originates from Yamuna glaciers that stretch 6316 km.
• Son: Amarkantak plateau receives water from this Ganga tributary, forming waterfalls before entering Arrah.
• Punpun: The Punpun River goes through Chatra, Aurangabad, Gaya, and Patna after rising in the Jharkhand region of Palamu.
• Falgu: The Falgu, also known as Phagu, is the river that passes by the Bihar state district of Gaya.  Another name for the Falgu River is the “Niranjana River.”
• Kiul: The Kiul River rises in Jharkhand and is a tributary of the Ganga.  This river, which is 110 kilometres long, drains roughly 16,500 km³.
• Chandan: The Chandan River flows through the Bihar district of Bhagalpur. Locals call this river Champa because they founded a village called Champa along its banks.
• Ajoy: The Ajoy, also known as the Ajay River in Jharkhand, rises from a small hill near Deoghar, roughly 300 meters high. The Ajay River flows through Bihar from Jharkhand to Simjuri in West Bengal. This is one of the tributaries of the river Ganga from west to east.
• Damodar: The Ganga River’s major tributary is the Damodar. The Chhota Nagpur Plateau in the Bihar district of Palamau traces the origin of Damodar.
• Rupnarayan: The Rupnarayan River rises in the Chhota Nagpur Plateau’s foothills at Dhalkisor and flows through Bankura, which merges with the Dwarkeshwar River.
• Tamsa: It passes through the states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Tamsa River comes from the Kaimur range’s Tamkund.
• Karamnasa: The Kaimur region is the source of this Ganga River tributary, which flows through the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Left Bank Tributaries of Ganga

The six left-bank tributaries of River Ganga are given below:

• Ramganga: The Ramganga tributary drains the southwest part of Kumaun and is one of the left-bank tributaries of the river Ganga. Its source is the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, on the southern slopes of Dudhatoli Hill.
• Garra: The Garra River flows through important industrial areas in the Uttar Pradesh district of Shahjahanpur.
• Gomti: In Pilibhit, near Madho Tanda, is Gomti Taal, also known as Fulhaar Jheel. It is the source of the Gomti River. It passes over 900 kilometres of Uttar Pradesh before entering Ghazipur.
• Ghaghara: The Ghaghara River rises from the glaciers at Mapchachungo. It passes through the Himalayas of Nepal and meets the Sharada River at Brahma Ghat, India. Its length is 1080 kilometres. This river’s main tributaries are the Sarju, Sharda, Rapti, and Chhoti Gandak rivers.
• Gandak: The Kali and Trisuli rivers, which have their source in Nepal’s massive Himalayan range, converge to form the Gandak River. It makes a meandering 765 kilometres until it meets the Ganga in Sonepur, near Patna.
• Kosi: The Saptakoshi, with seven Himalayan tributaries, is a historic transboundary river traversing India and Nepal, joining the Ganga near Kursela.

What is the Ganga River System?

The expansive Ganga River System spans Bangladesh, Nepal, Tibet, and India, encompassing an impressive area of almost 10,86,000 square kilometers. This vast river system constitutes nearly one-fourth of India’s total land area, representing the country’s largest river basin, covering an extensive 8,61,452 square kilometers. 

Also Read :-

List of Dams in India

longest river in india: Exploring the Top 10 Rivers

Hirakud Dam: India’s Longest and World’s Lengthiest Dam

National Mission for Clean Ganga

In June 2014, the Union Government designated the Namami Gange Programme as a “Flagship Programme.” It has the dual goals of conserving and revitalizing the National River Ganga and effectively reducing pollution.

The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and its state equivalent organisations, the State Programme Management Groups (SPMGs), are in charge of carrying out the programme.
The Union Government established the National Ganga Council (NMCG) in 2016 to oversee implementation, taking over from the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NRGBA). It comprises over 288 projects with a centrally supported, non-lapsable corpus of Rs. 20,000 crore.

Tributaries of Ganga UPSC 

Tributaries of Ganga or Ganga ki Sahayak Nadiyan is crucial topic for UPSC. On November 4, 2008, the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, officially designated the Ganga River, also known as the Ganges River, as the nation’s official river.

The Ganga, a revered national river flowing through India and Bangladesh, saw the initiation of the Ganga Action Plan Phase-I in June 1985. Originating from the Himalayas and traversing the Gangetic plains, the river ultimately converges into the Bay of Bengal. Deeply ingrained in cultural beliefs, the Ganges is considered purifying, and bathing in its waters is believed to cleanse sins and offer salvation. A cultural tradition observed in Thailand during the “Loy Krathong” festival involves floating candles into rivers as a form of prayer to Goddess Ganga.

The Bhagirathi River, originating from the Gangotri Glacier, is a significant tributary, with the Ghagra River being its largest contributor. The banks of the Ganga River boast numerous holy sites, including Gangotri, Haridwar, Prayagraj, Varanasi, and Kali Ghat, underscoring the spiritual and cultural significance of this majestic river.

The Bottom Line

The current administration has also been actively working to build dams in the Himalayan upper levels of the Ganga River in recent years. Concerns arise among experts that hydroelectric projects may negatively impact the flow of the Ganga.

As of 2019, 1,000 dams in the Ganga watershed were impeding the rivers’ ability to flow freely and causing the continuous flow. However, the issues remain unanswered when dams start to take on symbolic meaning in the development discourse. Continuous water flow requires careful consideration of the latest hydroelectric developments, particularly relying on the significant tributaries of the Ganga.

Also Read:- तीस्ता नदी: एक प्राकृतिक धरोहर की कहानी

FAQs on Tributaries Of Ganga: