Question

Why is the delta of River Indus smaller compared to the delta of River Ganga?

Answer 1

Hint: A delta is a landform formed when a river meets the sea. Due to the very gradual decline of the land at this place, the river deposits sediments in huge quantities and as a result, its stream also gets divided into many branches.

Complete answer:
Both the Indus and Ganga rivers emerge in the Himalayas. The Indus travels in a south-west direction and flows to drain in the Arabian sea. On the other hand, the Ganga flows in a south-east direction and passes through most of North India to drain into the Bay of Bengal.
Both these large river systems form deltas at their confluence with the sea. However, the delta formed by the Indus is smaller than that formed by the Ganga. It is because of many reasons.
Firstly, the Ganga flows for a much greater distance than the Indus and as a result, picks up much more sediments than the latter. One reason also why it carries more sediments is that it flows through much wetter areas than the Indus does. The Indus river flows through mostly semi-arid areas.
Also, the difference in slope creates differences in the delta formation as well. At the mouth of the Indus, the slope ends abruptly into the Arabian sea. However, in case of Gnga, there is a much more gradual decline in slope, providing for a large delta formation.

Note: The delta formed by the Ganga is actually the largest in the world. Remembering the factors that contribute to the formation of deltas will help in understanding why that of Ganga is so large.