Q.2.

Answ C'c the follo wing ques tions brief ly :

(r) Wha t is mea nt by., wate r divid e ? Give
an exam ple.
• .
(ir) Whic h is the large st river basi n in Indi a ?
an d t
h G
e anga
have their ongi n ? form the Gan ga ? \
(ii,) Whe re do the river s Indu s mee t to
G Whe re do they
the anga . . d •t long er cour se?
(iv ) Nam e the two head strea ms of. . • t have less silt, esp• e a
(v) Why does the Brah map utra 1n its Tibe tan par
trou gh ? [CB S£ 2017 1
(v1) Whi ch two Peni nsul ar river s flow thro ugh
dr . b . .
(vi1) State s o me econ omic bene fits of river s and lake s. rates two ama ge asms , 1s
. d hich sepa
Any elevated area, such as a mou ntain or an ~pla n , w
. .de in enin sula r Indi a is form ed by
Ans . (1)
P
know n as a wate r divide. For example, the mam wate r divi stem coaSt .
h to sout h close to the w~
the Western Ghats whic h run from nort
( ii) The Gan ga river basi n is the large st basi n in India
.
L k The Gan ga orig m'ate from Gan gotr i
(iiz) The Indu s river rises in Tibet, near the Man saro
war a e.
Glacier in Utta rakh and.
(iv) The two head strea ms are Bha girat hi and Alak nand
a. The y mee t at Dev apra yag in Utta rakh and
to form the Gan ga.
In Tibe t, the Brah map utra rive r carr ies a sma ller volu me of wat er and less silt as it _is a_cold
(v)
fall. Her e the rive r carr ies a larg e
and dry area . In Indi a, it pass es thro ugh a regi on of high rain
volu me of wate r and cons ider able amo unt of silt.
(vi) The Nar mad a and the Tap i rive rs flow thro ugh trou
gh.
(vii) Eco nom ic bene fits of rive rs and lake s are as follo
ws:
(a) Lak es can be used for deve lopi ng hyd el-p owe r.
(b) Lak es help in deve lopi ng tour ism whi ch give s emp
loym ent to the peo ple.
(c) The rive r ban ks hav e attra cted settl ers from
anci ent time s. The se sett lem ents hav e now
beco me big citie s and cent res of trad e and com mer ce.
owe r gen erat ion whi ch are of spec ial
(d) Rive rs are used for irrig atio n, navi gati on, hyd ro-p
ifica nce- part icul arly to a con ntry like Indi a, whe re agri cult ure is a maj or sou rce of
sign
live liho od of the maj orit y of its pop ulat ion.
 Discuss the significant di((
. 'flcant dilf
The s1gnL Ncnt t, .... t Ween ti f 1·
crcncc bctwt'<!n th Him H? [Link].aya1n .and thl" l'"nin,ul.u [Link],.
H· I c c1layan and the peninsular rivNs is as giv(•n bdow :
•ma aya,, rivtrs
(I) Most of the H· Ptni11s11/11r ril.~rJ
unalayan .
perennial. They h nvers are (i' A large number of the pt>ninsul,u river!'
ave wate thr ,,
the year. These riv r oughout are [Link], as their flow is dependmt on
. ers receive
ram as well as fr0 Water from rainfalL [Link] the dry season, even the
rnmelted
lofty mountains. . snow from the large rivers have reduced flow of water in
(ii) The two rnajorffima1a . their channels.
Indus and the B ahm Yan nvers, the (i,) Some of the peninsular rivers - the Narmada
from the north of~ aputra originate and the Tapi originate in the Central
e mountain ranges. Highlands and flow towards the west. Most
of the major rivers flow eastwards and drain
(iii) They flow [Link] into the Bay of Bengal.
valle . narrow gorge-like (iii) The peninsular rivers flow through open,
ys with steep slopes. Almost all of shallow valleys.
them pass [Link]
narrow gorges across
at 1east a few of the Himal
(iv) Th Himal ayan ranges.
~ ayan rivers have often shifted (iv) The peninsular rivers flow through their
the~ courses at the time of floods. The well-adjusted valleys and their courses
Kos1, the Ghaghara and even the Ganga do not shift except in a few cases in the
have shifted their courses in recent times. lower reaches.
(v) The Himalayan rivers perform intensive (v) Their intensity of erosional activity is less
erosional activity in their upper courses due to their gentler slope.
and carry huge loads of silt and sand.
(vz) They have long courses. (vi) They have shorter and shallower courses.
Q.5. Compare the east flowing and the west flowing rivers of the Peninsular plateau.
Ans.
East flowing rivers West flowing rivers
(i) The Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna (z) There are numerous small streams
and Kaveri flow eastwards and drain into flowing west of the Western Ghats. The
the Bay of Bengal. Narmada and the Tapi are the only long
rivers which flow west. These rivers drain
into the Arabian Sea.
(il) These rivers make deltas at their mouth. (ii) Narmada and Tapi make estuaries.
(iii) Their tributaries are large in size i.e., (iii) Their tributaries are very small in size.
the Penganga, the Wainganga and the
Manjra.
Q .6. Why are rivers important for the country's economy ?
Ans. The rivers are important for the country's economy as mentioned below:
(i) Rivers have been of fundamental importance throughout the human history.
(ii) Water from the rivers is a basic natural resource, essential for various human activities.
(iii). Therefore, the river banks have attracted settlers from ancient times.
(iv) These settlements have now become big cities e.g., Delhi, Banaras and Patna.
(v) Using rivers for irrigation, navigation, hydro-power generation is of special significance -
particularly to a country like India, where agriculture is the major source of livelihood of the
majority of its population.

rDralnag~ ~ ~ -~ -~ / l 99]
 SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS
Answers to tl,ese questions slrould not exceed 60 words cac/r.

Q.1. Describe main featu res of Ute Himalayan ri vers during their course from place of origin to the
sea.
Ans. (,) The Himalayan rivers have long courses from their source to the sea.
{it) TI1ey perform intensive erosionaJ activity in their upper courses a nd carry huge loads of silt
and sand.
(ii,) ln the middJe and lower courses, these rivers form meanders, Oxbow lakes, and many other
depositional features in their flood plains.
(iv) They have also well-developed deltas.
Q.2. Which rivers - Himalayan or Peninsular - are better for irrigation ?
Ans. (,) The Himalayan rivers are better placed for irrigation due to their perennial nature and less
fluctuation in water discharge. They get water from rain as well as from melted snow from the
lofty mountains.
(ii) On the other hand, the peninsuJar rivers are rain fed. They almost dry up during the weather
before and after the rainy season, with the exception of the Kaveri which has enough water
throughout the year. These rivers, therefore, do not provide ideal conditions for irrigation.
Q.3. Describe main features of the Indus River System.
Ans. (i) It rises in Tibet near Lake Mansarovar.
(ii) It forms a picturesque gorge in Kashmir.
(iii) Its tributaries in the Kashmir region are the Zaskar, the Nubra, the Shyok and the Hunza.
(iv) The Satluj, the Beas, the Ravi, the Chenab, the Jhelum join together and enter the Indus near
Mithankot in Pakistan.
(v) The Indus plain has a very gentle slope.
(vi) Its total length is 2900 km and is one of the longest rivers in the world.
(vii) About one-third of Ind us basin is located in India in the states ofJammu and Kashmir, Himachal
Pradesh and the Punjab and the rest is in Pakistan.
Q.4. How and where the tributaries of the Ganga join ? What are their features ?
Ans. (i) Some tributaries of the Ganga are major rivers such as the Yamuna, the Ghaghara and Gandak
and the Kosi.
(ii) The river Yamuna rises from the Yamunotri Glacier in the Himalayas.
(iii) It flows parallel to the Ganga and as a right bank tributary meets the Ganga at Allahabad.
(iv) The Ghaghara, the Gandak and the Kosi rise in the Nepal Himalaya. These rivers cause floods
in parts of the Northern plains every year causing widespread damage to life and property
whereas they enrich the soil for agricultural use.
(v) The Chambal, the Betwa and the Son come from peninsular uplands and have shorter course
and do not carry much water in them.
 and tastes t growmg delta.
Q.2. Describe different types of lakes in India .
Ans. The lakes differ fron1 each other in the size and other characteristics as given below :
(i) Permanent lakes.
(ii) Some contain water only during the rainy season, like the lakes in the basins of inland drainage
of semi-arid regions e.g., Sambhar Lake.
(iii) Some of the lakes are the result of the action of glaciers and ice sheets.
(iv) Some lakes have been formed by wind, river action, and human activities.
(v) The damming of the rivers for the generation of hydel power has also led to the formation of
lakes such as Guru Gobind Sagar (Bhakra Nangal Project).
(vi) Most of the fresh water lakes are in the Hin1alayan region. They are of glacial origin. They
are
formed when glaciers dug out a basin, which was later filled with snowmelt. The Wular lake,
Dal lake, Bhimtal, Nainital, Loktak and Barapani are some important freshwater lakes. Wular
lake is the result of the tectonic activity. It is the largest fresh water lake in India.

10s / I U-LIKE Social Science-IX