Question

Name the tributaries of the river Godavari.

Answer 1

Hint: The river Godavari is one of the sacred and longest rivers in India. It is also known as Burhi Ganga or Dakshini Ganga and has a drainage basin of some 313,000 square kilometres.

Complete Answer: The Godavari or Burhi Ganga or Dakshini Ganga is another important river of the Peninsular plateau. It originates at Trimbakeshwar in Nasik district of Maharashtra. It flows through Kneiss and Gondwana rocky terrain for 1465 kilometres and its catchment area is about 3,12,812 square kilometres. The river has formed a gorge, 60 kilometres long and 240 metres wide. This gorge is located in the Western ghats and is only 100 kilometres away from its mouth. On the northern part of the river delta, there are 15 kilometres long swamp which is instrumental for forming the Kakinada Gulf.

Some of the principal tributaries of the Godavari are
-Purna river originates from the Ajanta range of hills in Aurangabad district of the state of Maharashtra and lies in the rain shadow region on the Deccan Plateau. The length of the river is 373 kilometres with a catchment area of about 15,579 square kilometres.
-Pranhita is the largest tributary of the river Godavari with a catchment area of 109,078 square kilometres, covering 34 percent of the total drainage basin. The river does not have any dams built on it. However, the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project, a water project is currently underway to construct a barrage across the river.
-Indravati originates from the Ghats of Dandakaranya range with an elevation of 914 metres in the Kalahandi district of Odisha. Its catchment area is 41,665 square kilometres and joins the Godavari
-Sabari river after flowing for about 129 kilometres along the boundaries of Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.
-Manjira rises in the Balaghat Range of Hills near Ahmednagar district and passes through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana. Some of the tributaries of Manjira river are Terna, Manyad, Lendi, Gharni and Tawarja rivers.
-Sabari river originates from the Sinkaram hill ranges of the Eastern Ghats, Odisha. The Sabari river is also known as Kolab river and receives an annual rainfall of about 1250 mm. The two important tributaries of the Sabari river are Kanger and Malengar.

Note: The tributaries of the Godavari river are classified into two - left bank tributaries and right bank tributaries. The left bank tributaries include more rivers in contrast to the right bank tributaries.