Question

What are perennial rivers?

Answer 1

Hint: The word Perennial is derived from the Latin term “perennis” that means lasting throughout the year. Rivers can have different ‘flows’ and speed/pacing of the flow as well.

Complete Step by Step answer: Perennial Rivers are those rivers that have water throughout the year. They flow continuously irrespective of the Seasons. They are also called permanent rivers. In India Himalayan rivers like Ganga and Brahmaputra including their tributaries are the perennial rivers. These both are rain-fed and are formed from the glaciers. Most of the perennial rivers originate from the mountains and the water is fed from the melting of the mountains. It is because of this there are no perennial rivers in South India as there are no mountains with snow in the South. These rivers are very important for agriculture as they provide regular irrigation. Other examples of perennial rivers include Indus and its five tributaries that are Chenab, Jhelum, Beas, Ravi and Sutlej.

Note: The drainage system in India has two main groups of rivers. These are Himalayan rivers and Peninsular rivers. About 77 per cent of water through these rivers flows into the Bay of Bengal. Only about 23 per cent seeps into the Arabian sea.