Rivers and Drainage System of Haryana | HPSC Preparation: All subjects - HPSC (Haryana) PDF Download

Drainage systems of Haryana

• Drainage systems refer to the arrangement of streams, rivers, and lakes within a specific drainage basin.
• These systems are shaped by the topography of the land, which includes factors such as the type of rocks present (hard or soft) and the slope of the land.

Rivers of Haryana

• Perennial rivers are not present in Haryana.
• The significant rivers that flow through the state are the Yamuna, the Saraswati, and the Ghaggar.
• Besides these, several small streams flow through the state, such as the Markanda, the Sahibi, and Indori.
• The Yamuna river enters Haryana near Kalesar and provides irrigation to vast areas of farmland in the state.
• The Yamuna river's water flows through several districts, including Ambala, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Hissar, and Rohtak via the western Yamuna canals.
• The Saraswati river is a seasonal river that originates from a large depression in the north of the Mustafabad Pargana of Jagadhri.
• The Ghaggar river emerges from the outer Himalayan ranges between the Yamuna and the Sutlej.

The Yamuna River in Haryana

• The Yamuna River forms the eastern border of Haryana with Uttar Pradesh.
• The river enters Haryana through Yamunanagar district at Kalesar forest.
• It flows southwards through the districts of Yamunanagar, Karnal, Panipat, and Sonipat before leaving Haryana at Hasanpur in Faridabad district.
• The Yamuna River originates from the Bundar Poonch glaciers in Uttarkashi district and rises from Jamnotri in the Himalayas.
• River Tons flows along the western boundary of Tehri Garhwal district in Himachal Pradesh before joining the Yamuna River at Kalsi and entering the plains.
• After Kalsi, the river flows along the boundary of Himachal Pradesh and turns southeastward near Mathura, passing through Agra, Firozabad, and Etawah.
• The Yamuna River receives several southern tributaries, including the Chambal, the Sindh, the Betwa, and the Ken, before joining the Ganges River near Allahabad after a course of about 855 miles (1,376 km).
• The confluence of the Yamuna and Ganges rivers is a significant religious site for Hindus.

The Ghaggar River in Haryana

• The Ghaggar River is a seasonal river that flows in India and Pakistan, and only flows during the monsoon season.
• It originates in the Shivalik Range in northwestern Himachal Pradesh and flows through Pinjore in Haryana, where it meets River Saraswati.
• After passing through Ambala and Hisar districts in Haryana, it eventually disappears into the Thar Desert in Rajasthan, with a total length of approximately 467km from its source.
• This seasonal river provides water to two irrigation canals that extend into Rajasthan.
• The Ghaggar River in India and the Hakra River in Pakistan are considered a twosome, called the Ghaggar-Hakra River.
• Some historians believe that Ghaggar is the same as the Vedic Sarswati River.
• Many Indus Valley Civilization settlements have been excavated along the banks of the Ghaggar River.

The Saraswati River in Haryana

• According to belief, the origin of the Saraswati river was from the Har-ki-Dun glacier located in west Garhwal (Uttaranchal).
• It ran parallel to the river Yamuna for a while, then merged with it, and proceeded southwards as the Vedic Saraswati.
• As the river flowed through Punjab and Haryana, seasonal rivers and rivulets such as Ghaggar joined it.
• The Vedic Shatadru, which is the river Sutluj, joined Saraswati as a tributary at Shatrana, around 25km south of Patiala.
• Saraswati then flowed through Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Hakra in Bhawalpur before emptying into the Rann of Kutch via Nara in Sindh province. This path was parallel to that of the Indus River.
• It has been established that in the Vedic times, the river Saraswati, which carried the waters of three perennial and numerous seasonal rivers, was a powerful river.

The Markanda River in Haryana

• The Markanda River is a small river in the Sirmaur District of Himachal Pradesh that flows into the Yamuna River as a tributary.
• Formerly known as Aruna, the Markanda River enters Haryana near Ambala after leaving Himachal Pradesh.
• The river originates from the southern side of the lower Himalayas in the Paonta Valley.
• It crosses the districts of Ambala and Karnal in Haryana and discharges any excess water into Sanisa Lake where it joins the Saraswati River.
• During winters and summers, the river's flow is very low as it relies on rainfall. However, during monsoons, water levels rise dramatically.

The Sahibi River in Haryana

• The Sahibi river takes its source in the Mewat hills near Jitgarh and Manoharpur, which are located about 133 km from Jaipur, in Rajasthan.
• With the contribution of around 100 tributaries, the river grows in size and becomes a wide stream near Alwar and Patan.
• When the river reaches Rohtak, it splits into two smaller streams, and eventually reaches the outskirts of Delhi before joining the Yamuna.

The Indori River in Haryana

• The river originates near the ancient Indora fortress located in the Mewat hills.
• One of its main branches joins the Sahibi River.
• The river flows from the southern direction towards the north.
• The rivers in Haryana are only seasonal, and they flow during the monsoon season.

Detailed Explanation of Yamuna River Basin

• The Yamuna River, which is about 1376 km long, originates from the Yamunotri glacier located in the Bandarpunch range of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand.
• When it meets with the river Ganga at Prayag (Allahabad), it forms the extensive floodplains known as the Ganga-Yamuna doab, which is famous for its fertile soil in northern India.
• The Yamuna River basin, which spans over 366,220 sq km, is spread across the states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, the National Capital Territory of Delhi, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh.

Water Development in Haryana

• Haryana is a state in India that is known for its extensive irrigation, with around 2.9 million hectares of land irrigated through surface methods.
• Despite being a food deficit state at the time of its establishment in 1966, Haryana has become a major contributor to India's food grain supply.
• Agriculture accounts for around 31% of Haryana's GDP, and the state, along with Punjab, played a key role in India's Green Revolution.
• Haryana's crop yields are 30-40% higher than the national average, and the state, which occupies just 1.4% of India's land area, contributes 30% of the country's wheat procurement and 10% of its rice.
• Haryana's success in agriculture can largely be attributed to its irrigation infrastructure, particularly the Western Yamuna Canal, which irrigates a large portion of the state's agricultural land. Groundwater is also used extensively for irrigation purposes in the state.

Spring

The only notable spring in Haryana is at Sohna, a tourist attraction in Gurgaon district. The temperature of the hot sulphur spring remains between 46 and 52º c and a bath in the spring water is considered by many to cure several kinds of diseases.

Mineral Water.- The hot spring of Sohna in Gurgaon district is famous for its medicinal value. The hot water from the spring is collected in a chamber and is piped into different bath rooms. The hot water from the spring is also taken upto the top of the adjacent hill to the Sohna bath for the tourist complex. The maximum temperature of this water is 47º.

The presence of trace elements like Pt, Ni Co, Mn, Cr, Pb in the thermal water is suggestive of the magmatic source of the hot water.

In addition, two springs with chelybeate and sulpher water occur at Pinjore in Panchkula district.