Social Science SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS(3 Mark)

Rivers have been of fundamental importance throughout human history. Water from the rivers is a basic natural resource, essential for various human activities. Therefore, the riverbanks have attracted settlers from ancient times. These settlements have now become big cities. Make a list of cities in your state, which are located on the bank of a river. Using rivers for irrigation, navigation, hydropower 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.

Himalayan Rivers	Peninsular Rivers
Originate from Himalayas.	Originate in the Western Ghats.
These are perennial rivers.	These are seasonal rivers.
They receive water from rain as well as from melted snow from the lofty mountains.	These rivers are dependent upon rainfall. During the dry season, even the large rivers have reduced flow of water.

Natural lakes	Artificial or man-made lakes
Wular	Gobind Sagar
Dal	Rana Pratap Sagar
Nainital	Nizam Sagar
Bhimtal	Nagarjuna Sagar
Loktak	Hirakud
Barapani	-
Chilika	-
Sambhar	-
Pulicat	-

Lakes:

• Lakes are of a great value to human beings.
• Lakes help to regulate the flow of rivers.
• Lakes help to prevent flooding during rainy season.
• During the dry season, lakes help to maintain an even flow of water.
• Lakes can also be used for developing hydel power.
• They moderate the climate of the surroundings and maintain the aquatic ecosystem.
• They enhance natural beauty and help to develop tourism and provide recreation. e.g., Dal Lake and Naini Lake at Nainital.
• Lakes provide opportunities for fishery development.

Rivers:

• They help to develop hydel power.
• They provide water for irrigation, for drinking and other requirements.
• They help to develop fisheries.

In Tibet. the river Indus known as Tsang Po carries a smaller volume of water and less silt as it is a cold and dry area.
In India, the river carries a large volume of water and considerable amount of silt because it passes through a region of high rainfall.

1. The peninsular river that creates many picturesque location is river Narmada.
2. It rises in the Amarkantak hills in Madhya Pradesh.
3. The 'Marble rocks' near Jabalpur where Narmada flows through a deep gorge and the 'Dhuandhar falls' where the river plunges over steep rocks, are some of the notable picturesque locations.

1. Creating awareness among the people.
2. Dumping waste material in a proper place.
3. Checking animal bath in the rivers.
4. Checking the speedy growth of urbanisation and industrialisation.
5. Prohibiting people from immersing idols into the rivers.

1. The Tapi rises in the Satpura ranges in the Betul district of Madhya Pradesh.
2. It also flows in a rift valley parallel to the Narmada but it is much shorter in length.
3. Its basin covers parts of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
4. The main west-flowing rivers are Sabarmati, Mahi, Bharathpuzha and Periyar.

1. The Sunderban Delta is the world’s largest and the fastest growing 
   delta.
2. Filled by various tributaries, the river Ganga reaches West Bengal.
3. This is the northernmost part of the Ganga Delta. From here, the Bhagirathi-Hooghly (a distributary) flows southwards towards the deltaic plains and the Bay of Bengal.
4. The main stream flows southwards into Bangladesh and is joined by Brahmaputra, known as Meghna.
5. This mighty river (with waters from Ganga and Brahmaputra) forms the deltaic plains and then flows into the Bay of Bengal.
6. It derives its name from the Sundari tree which grows in marshland.

The Godavari River is one of the largest and biggest Peninsular Rivers similar to the largest Himalayan. It is similar to the Ganga river in the south hence it is known as Dakshin Ganga. River Godavari is the largest river of the south India.

1. The Godavari is the largest peninsular river. It rises from the slopes of the Western Ghats in the Nasik district of Maharashtra.
2. Its length is about 1500km. It drains into the Bay of Bengal. Its drainage basin is also the largest among the peninsular rivers.
3. The basin covers parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. The Godavari is joined by a number of tributaries such as the Purna, the Wardha, the Pranhita, the Manjra, the Wainganga and the Penganga.
4. Manjra, the Wainganga and the Penganga are very large. They are together known as the 'Dakshin Ganga' because of their length and the area they cover.

Human activities such as:

1. Releasing industrial waste.
2. Releasing sewage without proper treatment.
3. Bathing of cattle.
4. Washing clothes, bathing.

We can minimise them by:

1. Treating the sewage and other industrial waste properly before releasing them into rivers.
2. By not dumping garbage.
3. By not bathing in rivers by using soap instead taking dip in holy rivers.

1. The Mahanadi rises in the highlands of Chhattisgarh.
2. It flows through Odisha to reach the Bay of Bengal.
3. The length of the river is about 860 km.
4. Its drainage basin is shared by the states of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha.

1. The headwaters of the Ganga, called the Bhagirathi, is fed by the Gangotri glacier and joined by the Alaknanda at Devprayag in Uttarakhand. At Haridwar the Ganga emerges from the mountains on to the plains.
2. The Ganga is joined by many tributaries from the Himalayas. These are the Yamuna, the Ghaghara, the Gandak and the Kosi.
3. The river Yamuna flows parallel to the Ganga and as a right bank tributary, meets the Ganga at Allahabad.
4. The Ghaghara, the Gandak and the Kosi rise in the Nepal Himalayas. The main tributaries which come from the peninsular uplands are the Chambal, the Betwa and the Son.
5. Enlarged with the water from its right and left bank tributaries, the Ganga flows eastwards till Farakka in West Bengal. The length of the Ganga is over 2500km.

When the Ganga flows towards West Bengal, it splits into two the Bhagirathi-Hooghly (a distributary) flows southwards through the deltaic plains to the Bay of Bengal. The main stream flows southwards into Bangladesh and is joined by the Brahmaputra, thus resulting in the formation of a delta. The delta formed by these rivers is known as the Sundarban Delta. The Sundarban Delta derived its name from the Sundari tree which grows well in marsh land. It is the world's largest and fastest growing delta.

This is the longest Peninsular river. Its drainage basin is also the largest among the peninsular river basins. The Godavari is about 1500km long. It originates from the slopes of the Western Ghats in Nasik district of Maharashtra and drains into the Bay of Bengal. The Godavari basin covers parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. Purna, Wardha, Pranhita, Manjra, Waiganga and Penganga are the main tributaries of Godavari.

The Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta (also known as the Brahmaputra Delta, the Sunderbans Delta or the Bengal Delta) is a river delta in the Bengal region of the South Asia, consisting of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the world's largest delta and empties into the Bay of Bengal.

1. The Tapti rises in the Satpura ranges in Betul district of Madhya Pradesh.
2. It also flows in a rift valley, parallel to the Narmada river.
3. Its basin covers parts of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Some important features of the Brahmaputra river system are:

1. The Brahmaputra rises in Tibet, east of Mansarovar lake. It is slightly longer than the Indus and most of its course lies outside India.
2. It has a braided channel in its entire length in Assam and forms many riverine islands.
3. Every year during the rainy season, the river overflows its banks, causing widespread devastation due to floods in Assam and Bangladesh.
4. The Brahmaputra is marked by huge deposits of silt on its bed causing the river bed rise.
5. The river also shifts its channel frequently.

1. The Narmada rises in the Amarkantak hills in Madhya Pradesh. It flows towards the west in a rift valley formed due to faulting.
2. On its way to the sea, the Narmada creates many picturesque locations. The 'Marble Rocks' near Jabalpur where the Narmada flows through a deep gorge and the 'Dhuadhar Falls' where the river plunges over steep rocks, are some of the notable ones.
3. All the tributaries of Narmada are very short and most of these join the main stream at right angles. The Narmada Basin covers parts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

A meandering river across a floodplain forms cut-offs that later develops into ox-bow lakes. Spits and bars form lagoons in the coastal areas, e.g. the Chilika lake, the Pulicat lake and the Kolleru lake.

The middle course of a river has more energy and volume then in the upper course. The gradient is more gentle and lateral (sideways) erosion has widened the channel. The river channel has also become deeper. Meanders are typical landforms found in this stage of the river.

Heavy loads of untreated sewage and industrial effluents are emptied into the rivers. This affects not only the quality of water but also the self-cleansing capacity of the river.
For example: given the adequate stream-flow, the Ganga water is able to dilute and assimilate pollution loads within 20km of large cities.

Common characteristics of sambhar, pulicat and chilika lake is that they all are salt water lakes.

1. Sambhar lake is found in rajasthan.
2. Pulicat lake is found in kerala.
3. Chilika lake is found in odisha.

The peninsular rivers are not navigable because of the following reasons:

1. A large number of the peninsular rivers are seasonal. The flow of these rivers depends upon rainfall and they usually get dried up in the summer.
2. River beds are uneven, rocky and have sharp slopes.
3. Construction of dams is difficult as a result of which navigation is not possible

1. The term ‘drainage’ means the river system of an area.
2. Some small streams flowing from different directions come together to form the main river, which ultimately drains into a large water body. The area drained by a single river system is called a ‘drainage basin’.

1. The Krishna river from a spring near Mahabaleshwar flows for about 1400km and reaches the Bay of Bengal.
2. Some of its tributaries are the Tungabhadra, the Koyana, the Ghatprabha, the Musi and the Bhima.
3. Its drainage basin is shared by Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

1. River Indus originates in Tibet near lake &aposMansarovar&apos. Several tributaries such as the Zaskar, Nubra, Shyok and the Hunza join the river Indus in Kashmir.
2. The Satluj, Beas, Ravi, Chenab and Jhelum rivers join together to enter the Indus near Mithankot in Pakistan.

1. It originate from a spring near Mahabaleshwar it flows for about 1400km and drains into the Bay of Bengal.
2. Sum of its tributaries are the Tungabhadra the Koyna the ghatPrabha the Musi and the bhima.
3. Maharashtra Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh share its drainage basin.

1. The Brahmaputra rises in Tibet, near the Mansarovar lake. Then it flows eastwards, parallel to the Himalayas. On reaching the Namcha Barwa, it takes a U-turn and enters India into Arunachal Pradesh through a deep gorge.
2. Its tributaries are-the Dihang, the Lohit and Kenula.

There are many tributaries of river Ganga. Major left-bank tributaries include Gomti (Gumti), Ghaghara (Gogra), Gandaki (Gandak), and Kosi (Kusi); major right-bank tributaries include Yamuna (Jumna), Son, Punpun and Damodar.

A river basin is the portion of land drained by a river and its tributaries. It encompasses all of the land surface dissected and drained by many streams and creeks that flow downhill into one another, and eventually into the Milwaukee River.

Lake: A lake is an area filled with water, surrounded by land.
Formation of lake: When the glaciers melted, water filled those depressions, forming lakes.
Importance:

1. It regulates the flow of river.
2. During rainy season, they prevent flooding and during dry season they help to maintain the flow of water.
3. They moderate the climate of the surrounding areas and maintain an aquatic ecosystem.

The river Ganga originates from the Gangotri glacier as ‘Bhagirathi’. Then it is joined by Alaknanda at Devaprayag in Uttarakhand. The Ganga is joined by many rivers from the Himalayas such as Yamuna, Ghaghara, Gandak and the Kosirivers. The river Yamuna originates from the Yamunotri glacier, but joins the river Ganga at Allahabad. The main tributaries which come from the peninsular uplands are the Chambal, the Betwa and the Son.

We can contribute to maintain its attraction in the following:

1. Creating awareness among the tourists.
2. Minimising environmental pollution.
3. Asking tourists not to throw any foreign material into the lakes.
4. Avoiding crowd around the lakes.

The benefits of lakes to human beings are:

1. A lake helps to regulate the flow of a river.
2. During heavy rainfall, it prevents flooding and during the dry season, it helps to maintain an even flow of water.
3. Lakes can be used for developing hydel power too.
4. They help in maintaining a moderate climate.
5. They are able to maintain the aquatic ecosystem.
6. They enhance the natural beauty and help in developing tourism and provide recreation.

Narmada and Tapti rivers flow from east to west and end in the Arabian Sea due to the rift caused by the divergent boundary. The tributaries of these rivers that originate in the Peninsular plateau include the- Bhima River, Chambal, Berach, Khari, Ghataprabha, Malprabha, Sabari, Manjira, etc.

Rivers get polluted in the following ways:

1. River water is used for domestic, municipal, industrial and agricultural purposes. This affects the quality of water. The volume of river is also reduced because more and more water is being drained out of them.
2. A heavy load of untreated sewage and industrial effluents are emptied into the rivers. This affects not only the quality of water but also the self cleansing capacity of the river.
3. The increasing urbanisation and industrialisation also contribute to the river pollution. Due to these reasons the pollution level of many rivers has been rising.

Himalayan rivers get flooded every year due to excessive melting of the snow due to global warming and excessive rains too.
Advantage:

1. They enable the enriching of the soil in entire northern plains by providing alluvial silt to it.
2. Various food and cash crops are grown in it and due to irrigational facilities and green revolution, certain crops have bumper crops.

Some important features of the Himalayan rivers are given below:

1. Most of the Himalayan rivers are perennial in nature. It means that they have water throughout the year. These rivers receive water from rain as well as from melting of snow.
2. The Himalayan rivers have long courses from their sources to the sea.
3. They perform intensive erosional activity in their upper courses and carry huge loads of silt and sand. In the middle and the lower courses, these rivers form meanders, ox-bow lakes and many other depositional features in their floodplains.
4. They also have well-developed deltas.

The Narmada river rises in the Amarkantak hills in Madhya Pradesh. From here, it flows towards the west in a rift valley. In Jabalpur, it passes through a deep gorge of ‘marble rocks’. It also forms the ‘Dhunadhar falls’. It passes through the states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

Rivers are considered lifelines of human civilisation due to following reasons:

1. Most of the ancient civilisations and cities have developed near the river banks as water was available for agriculture, domestic purposes and other needs.
2. Rivers are used as a means of transport. People take their merchandise to far away places and travel to different places through rivers.
3. Rivers provide hydel power that is essential to run many industries.

In the middle & lower courses, these rivers form meanders, ox-bow lakes and many other depositional features in their flood plains. They also have well developed deltas.

The river cleaning programme in India started with the launching of the Ganga Action Plan (GAP) in 1985. The Ganga Action Plan was expanded to cover other rivers under the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) in the year 1995. The objective of the NRCP is to improve the water quality of rivers, which are major water sources in the country, through the implementation of pollution abatement work.

1. Any elevated area such as a mountain or a plateau that separates two drainage basins is known as a ‘water divide’.
2. For example, Ambala is located at the water divide between the Indus and Ganga rivers. It does not receive water from either of the two rivers.

Perennial rivers are rivers or streams that have a continuous flow of water throughout the year. The only time that these rivers lack water is during extreme droughts. The Himalayan rivers are perennial because they are well by the melting snow during summer, when there are no rains.

1. The river Krishna rises from a spring near Mahabaleshwar.
2. The Tungabhadra, Koyna, Ghatprabha, Musi and the Bhima are some of its tributaries.

The Tapi rises in the Satpura ranges, in the Betul district of Madhya Pradesh. It also flows in a rift valley parallel to the Narmada but it is much shorter in length.

Rivers begin in mountains or hills, where rain water or snowmelt collects and forms tiny streams called gullies. A river in the mountains or hills will usually have a deep and steep V-shaped valley as the fast moving water cuts away at the rock as it flows downhill.