Difference between Himalayan Rivers and Peninsular Rivers

Rivers are the lifelines of a country as they provide the most valuable thing required for the survival "the water". The rivers' water can be used for a variety of purposes such as for drinking, for irrigation, to generate electricity etc. The rivers in India can be categorized into two different categories based on their origin: The Himalayan Rivers and the Peninsular Rivers. Let us see how these rivers differ from each other!

The Himalayan Rivers:

The Himalayan Rivers are the rivers that originate from the Himalayan mountain ranges. These rivers are snow fed; they receive water from the melting ice of the glaciers as well as from the rains. The three main Himalayan Rivers are the Ganga, the Indus and the Brahmaputra. These three rivers flow towards the West and collectively form the Himalayan River System. These rivers are also known as three different river systems as they have many tributaries.

These rivers are very long and generally cover thousands of kilometers before emptying into the sea. These rivers are perennial in nature as they flow throughout the year. They have larger basins and catchment areas. Furthermore, the mouth of these rivers, the point where they meet the sea, form large deltas, e.g. the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta is the biggest delta in the world.

The Peninsular Rivers:

The peninsular rivers are the rivers that originate from the peninsular plateaus and small hills of India. These rivers are seasonal or non-perennial as they receive water only form the rains and thus cannot maintain water flow throughout the year. Some of the famous peninsular rivers include Kaveri, Narmada, Tapi, Krishna, Mahanadi and Godavari. As compared to Himalayan Rivers, these rivers are shorter, do not have high erosion activity, and have smaller basin and catchment areas. Furthermore, peninsular rivers are consequent rivers as they follow the direction of the slope.

Based on the above information some of the key differences between the Himalayan Rivers and the Peninsular Rivers are as follows:

Himalayan Rivers	Peninsular Rivers
These rivers originate from the Himalayan mountain ranges.	These rivers originate from the peninsular plateaus in India.
They are longer and larger than the peninsular rivers.	They are comparatively smaller and shorter than the Himalayan Rivers.
They have larger basins and catchment areas.	They have smaller basins and catchment areas.
The bedrocks of these rivers are soft, sedimentary and easily erodible.	The bedrocks of these rivers are hard, and not easily erodible.
They are perennial in nature, flow throughout the year.	They are seasonal and non-perennial so may not flow throughout the year.
They are fed by the meltwater from glaciers and rains.	They are fed only by rains.
They form V-shaped valleys.	They form U-shaped valleys.
They form meanders.	They may not form meanders.
They form big deltas at their mouths where they meet the sea.	They form small rivers and estuaries.
They are antecedent rivers, i.e. they maintain their original course and pattern in spite of the changes in the rock topography.	They are consequent rivers, i.e. they flow in the direction of the slope.