Page 288 - New Medley 4 Semester 1

The Northern Plains of India can be divided into three sections or three

river basins. These are:

� the Satluj River Basin � the Ganga River Basin

� the Brahmaputra River Basin

The Satluj River Basin

The western part of the Northern Plains
of India is called the Satluj River Basin.

It is drained by the Satluj river and its
main tributary, the Beas. A major part of

the Satluj River Basin lies in Punjab and
Haryana. A dam called Bhakra Dam has
been built across the Satluj river. It helps

irrigate and generate electricity. Bhakra Dam

The Ganga River Basin

The Ganga River Basin is the largest part of the Northern Plains of India.
It extends from Delhi in the west to Kolkata in the east over a distance
of about 1,500 kilometres. A major part of the Ganga River Basin lies in

Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. The Ganga river, after originating
from the Gangotri Glacier, enters the plains at Haridwar. A large number

of tributaries, such as Gomti, Ghaghra, Gandak and Kosi from the north
and Yamuna, Chambal, Betwa and Son from the south, join the Ganga.
The Yamuna meets the Ganga at Allahabad. This place is called Sangam.

The lower part of the Ganga River Basin lies in West Bengal. Here the
river flows very slowly and splits into a number of branches, called

distributaries. One such is the Hugli river. On its banks, Kolkata is
located. Another branch enters Bangladesh and it is called the Padma
river.

The Brahmaputra River Basin

The Brahmaputra River Basin forms the eastern part of the Northern

Plains of India. The Brahmaputra river originates near the Mansarovar
Lake in Tibet. Its name is Tsangpo in Tibet. It flows eastwards and enters

India through Arunachal Pradesh. In India, it flows through Assam, before

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