Maps · Module 2
Drainage: rivers of India
Water questions recur across all three papers: river linking, the Indus Waters Treaty, inter-state disputes, floods and groundwater. Learn the 25 main rivers, then colour them by origin or by where they drain to see the pattern behind the answers.
India’s external and state boundaries: Survey of India–based data via DataMeet (CC BY-SA 2.5 / ODbL), generalised for teaching. World land: Natural Earth (public domain). Rivers: Natural Earth (public domain), generalised.
Tap a feature on the map to learn why it matters.
Quiz · tap the river
Tap Start, then tap each one on the map.
The pattern to remember
| Group | Drains into | Rivers |
|---|---|---|
| Himalayan | the Arabian Sea | Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej |
| Himalayan | the Bay of Bengal | Ganga, Yamuna, Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi (Sapt Kosi), Brahmaputra, Teesta |
| Peninsular | North, to the Ganga system | Chambal, Betwa, Son |
| Peninsular | the Bay of Bengal | Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Penner, Brahmani |
| Peninsular | the Arabian Sea | Narmada, Tapi, Mahi |
Practise in the sketch lab
GS1 2016: Present an account of the Indus Water Treaty and examine its ecologica…GS1 2020: The interlinking of rivers can provide viable solutions to the multi-d…GS3 2017: Not many years ago, river linking was a concept but it is becoming rea…GS1 2020: How will the melting of Himalayan glaciers have a far-reaching impact …GS1 2025: Discuss the distribution and density of population in the Ganga River …GS2 2013: Constitutional mechanisms to resolve the inter-state water disputes ha…GS3 2015: Discuss the Namami Gange and National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) p…
Themes that use this map
T44 Water security: scarcity, conservation & managementT47 River interlinking & water disputes: inter-state and transboundaryT52 Population & demographic transitionT87 Centre–State relations: cooperative, competitive & confrontational federalismT113 Pakistan & Afghanistan: terror, distrust, soft power, surgical strikes, ISAF withdrawalT114 China: BRI, CPEC, String of Pearls & economic leverageT115 Neighbourhood: Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Project MausamT156 River pollution & Ganga cleaningT158 Environmental Impact Assessment & project displacementT160 Disaster management frameworks: DM Act, Sendai, resilience, community, dam safetyT162 North-East insurgency & peace accords