Table of Contents
The rivers of India are broadly classified into:
- The Himalayan River System: These are perennial, snow-fed rivers. During the rainy season they are generally flooded and carry 70% of the total discharge of river water into the sea.
| Name | Source | Length | Enters Into |
| Indus River System | Mount Kailash in Tibet (near Mansarovar Lake) | 2900 km | Arabian Sea |
| —Sutlej | —Mansarovar Rakas Lakes | — 1050 km | —Chenab |
| —Beas | —Near Rohtang Pass | —470 km | —Sutlej |
| —Ravi | —Near Rohtang Pass | —720 km | —Chenab |
| —Chenab | —Near Lahol Spiti Districts of H.P. | —960 km | —Indus |
| —Jhelum | —Verinag in Kashmir | —725 km | —Chenab |
| Ganges River System | Gangotri Glacier in the Himalayas | 2510 km | Bay of Bengal |
| —Yamuna | —Yamnotri | —1375 km | —Ganga |
| —Gomti | —Gomat Taal (Fulhar Jheel) near Pilibhit | —900 km | —Ganga |
| —Ghagra | —Matsatung Glacier | — 1080 km | —Ganga |
| —Betwa | —Vidhyanchal | —480 km | —Yamuna |
| —Ken | —Ahirgawan (Kaimur Range) | —427 km | —Yamuna |
| —Son | —Amarkantak | —780 km | —Ganga |
| —Kosi | —Near Gosain Dham Park | —730 km | —Ganga |
| —Chambal | —Chambal region in Madhya Pradesh | — 1050 km | —Ganga |
Brahmaputra River System
Originates in the Mansarovar Lake in Western Tibet and flows south-west of Tibet as Yarlung Tsangpo River, enters India in Arunachal Pradesh in rapid descent (where it is called Siang) and slows down in plains of Assam Valley (where it is called Dihang) and is joined by Dibang river and later by Lohit river and thereon gets the name ‘Brahmaputra’. The principal tributaries of Brahmaputra in India are the Subansiri, Jia Bhareli, Dhansiri, Puthimari, Pagladiya and the Manas.
The Brahmaputra river flows southward through Bangladesh into the Ganges Delta and merges with the Padma (the main distributary of Ganges) to become Meghna. It flows into the Bay of Bengal.
The Ganges is the longest river in the country. The 2900 km Brahmaputra is longer than the Ganges but only one-third of the river passes through India.
- The Deccan River System: These are seasonal rivers as their flow mainly depends on rainfall. They carry about 30% of total discharge of Indian rivers. Godavari is the largest river system in peninsular India. The Kaveri system is the southernmost in the country.
- Coastal River System: These are numerous, comparatively smaller, coastal rivers. While there are more than 600 such rivers on the west coast and only a few of such rivers drain into sea near the delta on the east coast.
- The Rivers of the Inland drainage basin: These are small rivers in sandy areas of Rajasthan, called rivers of inland drainage basins, with no outlet in sea, except Luni which drains into the Rann of Kutch. Other such prominent rivers are: Machchu, Rupen, Saraswati, Banas, Ghaggar, etc.
The Third River System
| Name | Source | Length | Enters into |
| 1. Godavari | Western Ghats | 1450 km | Bay of Bengal |
| Krishna | 1290 km | ||
| Kaveri | 760 km | ||
| Pennar | 560 km | ||
| 2. Mahanadi | North-west of the Deccan Plateau | 890 km | Bay of Bengal |
| Damodar | 592 km | ||
| 3. Narmada | Northernmost portion of the Deccan Plateau | 1290 km | Arabian Sea |
| Tapti | 724 km | ||
| 4. Sharawathy | Western Ghats | 124 km | Arabian Sea |
| Netravati | — | ||
| Bharatapuzha | 250 km | ||
| Periyar | 300 km | ||
| Pamba | 176 km |
LAKES
The Himalaya region is dotted with hundreds of lakes. Most lakes are found at altitudes of less than 5000 m, with the size of the lakes diminishing with altitude. The largest lake is the Pangong Tso, which is spread across the border between India and Tibet. It is situated at an altitude of 4600 m and is 8 km wide and nearly 134 km long. The highest lake is the Gurudongmar in North Sikkim, 5370 m.
Important Lakes of India
- Lakes of Kashmir— Dal, Wular, Shesh Nag, Verinag, Manasbal, Nagin, etc.
- Lakes of Kumaon— Nainital, Bhimtal, Khurpatal, Sattal, Punatal, etc.
- Lakes of Rajasthan— Udaisagar, Fatehsagar, Jai Samand, Pichol, Sambhar Salt Lakes.
- Other Important Lakes— Lake Lonar in Maharashtra, Chilka in Orissa, Lake Kolleru (Andhra Pradesh), Nakkital (Mount Abu).