Description

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Context:

Ghaggar water is not suitable for bathing even before and after the point where the Sukhna Choe merges into it in Zirakpur.

About Ghaggar River

Feature	Details
Type	Intermittent river that flows only during the monsoon season
Course	Originates from the Shivalik Range in northwestern Himachal Pradesh Flows about 320 km southwest through Haryana Receives the Saraswati River in Haryana Dries up in the Thar Desert, Rajasthan
Irrigation	Feeds two irrigation canals that extend into Rajasthan
Continuation	The Hakra River in Pakistan is the continuation of the Ghaggar River in India. Together they are called the Ghaggar Hakra River
Historical Significance	Identified with the Vedic Saraswati River by several historians Many Indus Valley Civilization settlements excavated along its banks Believed to be created by Vedic Aryans Sutlej and Yamuna rivers are believed to have once flowed into the Ghaggar Hakra river bed
Tributaries	Kaushalya River, Markanda, Sarsuti, Tangri, Chautang

Himalayan Rivers

River	Origin	States Covered	Major Tributaries	Notable Cities Along the River	Drainage
Indus	Near Mansarovar Lake, Tibet	Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab (India & Pakistan)	Shyok, Zaskar, Gilgit, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Satluj	Leh, Srinagar	Arabian Sea
Ganga	Gangotri Glacier, Uttarakhand	Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal	Yamuna, Son, Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi, Ramganga, Gomti	Haridwar, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, Kolkata	Bay of Bengal
Yamuna	Yamunotri Glacier, Uttarakhand	Uttarakhand, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi	Chambal, Betwa, Ken, Sindh, Tons, Hindon	Delhi, Agra, Mathura, Etawah	Bay of Bengal (via Ganga)
Brahmaputra	Angsi Glacier, Tibet	Arunachal Pradesh, Assam	Dibang, Lohit, Subansiri, Manas, Teesta, Dhansiri, Kopili	Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Tezpur	Bay of Bengal
Ghaghara	Tibet Plateau	Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar	Kali, Sharada, Rapti, Kuwano	Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Ayodhya	Bay of Bengal (via Ganga)
Gandak	Nepal Himalayas	Bihar, Uttar Pradesh	Kali Gandaki, Trishuli	Bettiah, Muzaffarpur	Bay of Bengal (via Ganga)
Kosi	Tibet, near Mount Everest	Bihar, Nepal	Arun, Tamur, Sun Kosi, Dudhkoshi	Supaul, Saharsa	Bay of Bengal (via Ganga)
Teesta	Tso Lhamo Lake, Sikkim	Sikkim, West Bengal	Rangeet	Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling	Bay of Bengal

Peninsular Rivers

River	Origin	States Covered	Major Tributaries	Notable Cities Along the River	Drainage
Narmada	Amarkantak Plateau, Madhya Pradesh	Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat	Tawa, Hiran, Banjar, Orsang	Jabalpur, Bharuch	Arabian Sea
Tapi	Satpura range, Madhya Pradesh	Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat	Purna, Girna, Panjhra	Surat	Arabian Sea
Godavari	Triambakeshwar, Maharashtra	Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh	Pravara, Purna, Manjira, Pranhita, Indravati, Sabari	Nashik, Nanded, Rajahmundry	Bay of Bengal
Krishna	Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra	Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana	Bhima, Tungabhadra, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, Musi	Sangli, Vijayawada	Bay of Bengal
Cauvery	Talakaveri, Karnataka	Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry	Hemavati, Kabini, Bhavani, Amaravati, Arkavathy	Mysore, Srirangapatna, Tiruchirappalli	Bay of Bengal
Mahanadi	Sihawa, Chhattisgarh	Chhattisgarh, Odisha	Seonath, Jonk, Hasdeo, Mand, Ib	Sambalpur, Cuttack	Bay of Bengal
Sabarmati	Aravalli Hills, Rajasthan	Rajasthan, Gujarat	Sei, Harnav, Wakal	Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar	Arabian Sea
Sharavati	Western Ghats, Karnataka	Karnataka	None	Jog Falls	Arabian Sea
Ponnaiyar	Nandi Hills, Karnataka	Karnataka, Tamil Nadu	Chinnar, Markanda	Krishnagiri, Cuddalore	Bay of Bengal
Periyar	Western Ghats, Kerala	Kerala	Muthirapuzha, Mullayar	Kochi, Idukki	Arabian Sea

Key Differences Between Himalayan and Peninsular Rivers

Feature	Himalayan Rivers	Peninsular Rivers
Source	Himalayan glaciers	Western Ghats, Deccan Plateau
Water Flow	Perennial (fed by glaciers)	Seasonal (rain-fed)
Erosion Activity	High (due to steep slopes and young age)	Low (flow through older landforms)
Drainage Pattern	Antecedent and dendritic	Superimposed and radial
Major Uses	Irrigation, hydroelectric power, drinking water	Irrigation, hydroelectric power

READ ABOUT

Ghaggar River

Source:

Tribuneindia

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q.With reference to Ghaggar River, consider the following statements:

It is a perennial river.
It originates in the northern slopes of the Kailash Range in Tibet.
Kaushalya is one of the tributaries of Ghaggar River.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 only

(d) 1,2 and 3

Answer: b

Explanation:

Statements 1 and 2 are incorrect. Ghaggar River also known as Ghaggar-Hakra River, is an intermittent river in India and Pakistan that flows only during the monsoon season. It originates in the village of Dagshai in the Shivalik Hills of Himachal Pradesh and flows through Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

Statement 3 is correct. The main tributaries of the Ghaggar are the Kaushalya, Tangri, Markanda, Beghna and Sukhna and Chautang.