The major Himalayan Rivers are the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. Himalayan rivers are important for all sorts of reasons. They provide water for irrigation through the dry summer months, they provide water for drinking, washing and bathing during winter months, they transport goods and supplies to villages, towns and cities throughout the region. Some rivers though serve as boundary lines between countries, forming national borders. A river along with its tributaries may be called a river system.
1) The Indus River System
The river Indus is one of the longest rivers in the world with a total length of 2900 km. The river rises in Tibet, near Lake Mansarovar. Its upper course marks the Tibet–Tibetan boundary, and then it flows through Ladakh and Baltistan into Gilgit, just south of the Great Himalayas.
It enters India in the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir where it forms a picturesque gorge. The Satluj, the Beas, the Ravi, the Chenab and the Jhelum join together to enter the Indus near Mithankot in Pakistan.
The river’s conventional name derives from the Tibetan and Sanskrit name Sindhu. The earliest chronicles and hymns of the Indo-European-speaking peoples of ancient India, the Rigveda, composed about 1500 bce, mention the river, which is the source of the country’s name. The Indus River basin and its drainage network.
The Indus provides the key water resources for the economy of Pakistan – especially the breadbasket of Punjab province, which accounts for most of the nation’s agricultural production, and Sindh. It also supports many heavy industries and provides the main supply of potable water in Pakistan.
2) The Ganga River System
The holy river Ganga also known as the Ganges is one of the most important rivers in India as well as Asia as a whole. The river’s source is the ‘Gomatī’ which has originated from ‘Gaṅgā Maṇḍap’ and passes through Haridwar and Rishikesh and emerges as the final stretch called ‘Bhagirathi’ and further joins at Devaprayag into the ‘Alaknanda River’ which then emerges into a major tributary of the Ganga.
The Ganga emerges from the mountains to the plains at Haridwar. The Ganga is joined by many tributaries from the Himalayas, a few of them being major rivers, such as the Yamuna, the Ghaghara, the Gandak and the Kosi.
The length of the Ganga is over 2500 km. Farakka in West Bengal is the northernmost point of the Ganga delta where the Ganga river divides into 2 parts.
The main tributaries of the Ganga are Yamuna, Ram Ganga, Gomati, Ghaghara, Son, Damodar and Sapt Kosi. The river after traversing a distance of 2525 kms from its source meets the Bay of Bengal at Ganga Sagar in West Bengal.
Ganga is joined by many tributaries like Yamuna, Gandak, Ghaghara, Kosi, Son etc. Along with Brahmaputra river, it forms the world’s largest delta called Sunderban Delta whose major part lies in Bangladesh and minor part in West Bengal, India.
3) The Brahmaputra River System
The Brahmaputra rises in Tibet east of Mansarowar lake which is on the north of Mansarovar Indo-China border. It enters Assam and here it becomes the Brahmaputra. It is slightly longer than Indus.
It carries huge amount of silt. It flows parallel to the Himalayan mountains in Tibet. It takes U-turn at Namcha Barwa (height 7757 m) and enters into Arunachal Pradesh.
Dihang is joined by the Dibang, the Lohit, and many other tributaries to form the Brahmaputra in Assam.
The Lohit and the Dibang join the Siang at about 30 km downstream of Pasighat to form the mighty Brahmaputra river. The Subansiri rises in the mountains of Tibet. Near its source, a big “Chu” family of streams drain into the main valley.
Brahmaputra River originates in the great glacier mass north of Kailash ranges of Himalayas (elevation 5,150m) & to just south of lake called ‘Konggyu Tsho’. Brahmaputra traverses a distance of 2,900km through four countries – Tibet (China), Bhutan, India and Bangladesh before entering the Bay of Bengal.
