Drainage System Short and Long Important Question Class 11 Geography Chapter-3 Book-India Physical Environment

 

Question: On the basis of watershed area, how many parts have the Indian drainage basins been divided into?

Answer -  

Indian drainage basins based on watershed area 

1. Major river basin

• Their drainage area is more than 20000 square kilometers, it includes 14 river basins like Ganga, Brahmaputra, Krishna etc.

2. Medium river basin

• Whose drainage area is 2000 to 20000 square kilometers, it includes 44 river basins like Kalindi, Periyar etc.

3. Small river basin

• Those whose drainage area is less than 2000 square kilometers include many rivers flowing in areas of low rainfall 

Question -  Why are the rivers of India polluted? Write any three reasons

Answer -

• Industrial waste and waste from domestic activities are brought into the rivers of India through dirty drains.

• Many cremation grounds are located on river banks and sometimes the dead bodies or their remains are immersed in the rivers.

• On some festivals flowers and idols are immersed in rivers.

Question -  Which river of the Himalayan drainage system is known for floods, course changes and coastal erosion? And why?

Answer -

• The Brahmaputra River is known for flood diversion and coastal erosion.

• Most of its tributaries are large which carry huge quantities of water due to which it causes heavy floods in Assam during the rainy season, causing havoc.

• Due to heavy rainfall in the catchment area of ​​the Brahmaputra, a lot of sediment flows into it, which causes coastal erosion by depositing sediment at its bottom.

Question:   What is Namami Gange project? Tell two objectives of this project.

Answer - 

• Namami Gange Project is an integrated conservation mission approved by the Central Government in June 2014.

• Its first objective is to stop the pollution of River Ganga. 

• The Ganga River had to be preserved and rejuvenated.

Question:  What is Namami Gange project? Tell two objectives of this project.

Answer -

• Namami Gange Project is an integrated conservation mission approved by the Central Government in June 2014.

• Its first objective is to stop the pollution of River Ganga. 

• The Ganga River had to be preserved and rejuvenated.

Question – Explain the difference between river basin and watershed.

Answer - 

• The catchment area of ​​big rivers is called river basin.

• The size of the river basin is large.

• The area drained by small rivers and streams is called watershed.

Question:  Over time, into which three drainage systems did the Indo Brahma River get divided? Describe each of them.

Answer -

• Sindh and its five tributaries in the west.

• Ganga and its tributaries in the middle.

• Brahmaputra and its tributaries in the east.

Question –  What are the main problems related to river water use?

Answer -

• Lack of availability of sufficient amount of water.

• river water pollution

• Presence of large amounts of silt and soil in river water.

• Seasonal variability in water flow.

• River water disputes between states

• Shrinking of river channels due to human settlement.

Question –  What are the main problems related to river water use?

Answer- 

• Lack of availability of sufficient amount of water.

• river water pollution

• Presence of large amounts of silt and soil in river water.

• Seasonal variability in water flow.

• River water disputes between states

• Shrinking of river channels due to human settlement.

Question:  Comment briefly on the usefulness of rivers?

Answer - 

1. Irrigation

• The water of Indian rivers is mostly used for irrigation 

• Every year 1.67 crore cubic meters of water flows in Indian rivers 

• Out of which 55,517 crore cubic meters of water is used for irrigation 

2. Water power 

• There is a possibility of large scale development of hydro power in the Himalayas in the north, Vindhyachal, Satpura and Aravalli in the west, Mekal and Chhota Nagpur in the east, Meghalaya plateau in the northeast and the Western and Eastern Ghats of Purvanchal and Deccan plateau. 

• About 4.1 crore kilowatts of hydropower can be generated from these rivers in the country 

3. Waterways

• The various rivers of the country are the main and useful waterways of the country

• The country has approximately 10,600 km long waterways. 

• Out of these, steamers and big boats can ply on 2480 km long rivers, medium sized country boats can ply on 3920 km long rivers and small country boats can ply on 4200 km long canals. 

• Ganga, Brahmaputra and Mahanadi are the major waterway rivers. 

Question:  Explain any five differences between the Himalayan drainage system and the peninsular drainage system?

Answer - 

1. Himalayan Drainage System    

• These rivers originate from the Himalayas and flow through fertile plains and fall into the Bay of Bengal 

• The Himalayan drainage system is new 

• Here the rivers make meanders and change their course

• These rivers get water from the snow-clad regions of the Himalayas and flow throughout the year, so they are perennial. 

• These rivers are in the youth stage of their development and carry out erosion along their path and form deltas at their mouths.

• The Ganges Brahmaputra delta is world famous 

2. Peninsular Drainage System

• These rivers originate from the Western Ghats and plateau and flow from west to east.

• The peninsular drainage system is old

• Peninsular rivers flow on definite paths and do not form meanders

• These rivers are dependent on rain and hence dry up in summers. 

• These rivers are in the mature stage of their development, their river valleys are wide and shallow. 

Question –  What are the social and economic benefits of linking rivers in India?

Answer -   

Linking of rivers in India will have the following benefits: 

• There is a huge potential of hydro power in the big rivers like Himalayas in the north, Satpura in the centre, Chhota Nagpur in the east, Meghalaya in the northeast and Eastern and Western Ghats.

• If the excess water of these rivers is added to rivers with less water, then supply of water for irrigation in agriculture is possible 

• By connecting rivers, the food production capacity will increase and the production of water power will increase and there will be relief from flood and drought situations.

Question –  Evaluate the limitations of river water use.

Answer - 

• Rivers in India carry huge quantity of water every year but its distribution is not uniform in terms of time and place.

• Perennial rivers carry water throughout the year but intermittent rivers have very little water during the dry season. 

• During the rainy season, a large amount of water goes into the sea.

• When there is a flood in one region, the other region faces drought tragedy.

• There is no complete harmony between the availability of river water and its management.

• Transfer of water from water surplus area to water less area is not possible, development of canal system in some areas has taken a step in this direction.

Question:  Explain five main features of the Godavari river system.

Answer - 

• It is an important river from the point of view of natural beauty and utility. 

• Due to its huge size and vastness it is called as Ganga of the South.

• It originates from Trimbak place in Nashik district of Maharashtra and flows through Andhra Pradesh and discharges its water into the Bay of Bengal.

• Godavari along with its tributaries carries water from parts of the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Orissa. 

• Its catchment area is 3.13 lakh sq. km.

• The tributary rivers Painganga, Wainganga and Indravati flowing from the north join it. 

• Manjira is among the rivers found from the south.

• This river divides into many valleys and forms a large delta.

Question -  Ganga is the most important river of India from the point of view of both its basin and cultural importance. Prove it?

Answer -

• It originates from the Gangotri glacier near Gomukh in the Uttarkashi district of the Uttarakhand state.

• Bhagirathi and Alaknanda meet at Dev Prayag. After this it is called Ganga. 

• The River Ganges enters the plains at Haridwar.

• It turns south and merges into two streams, Bhagirathi and Hooghly.

• When it enters Bangladesh its name becomes Padma.

• The length of the Ganga river is 2525 km. It is the largest drainage system of India. 

• The Yamuna is the westernmost and longest tributary of the Ganges. 

• Son is its major tributary on its right bank. 

• Important tributaries found on the left bank are Ramganga, Gomti, Ghaghra, Gandak, Kosi and Mahananda.

Question –  Describe the main features of Brahmaputra River.

Answer - 

• It flows through three countries.

• The Brahmaputra originates from the Chemayungdung glacier near the Mansarovar lake in the Kailash range.

• In Tibet it is known as Tsangpo, which means purifier 

• It forms a deep Mahabar near Namcha Barwa in the Central Himalayas.

• It enters India west of the town of Sadiya in Arupachal Pradesh. 

• Dibang or Sikang Lohit is its major tributary.

• From here it is known as Brahmaputra. 

• Many tributary rivers join us during the 750 km journey in the Assam valley. 

• It enters Bangladesh and flows in the south direction, here it is called Jamuna. Finally it merges with Padma and falls into the Bay of Bengal.