4.4.3. East Flowing Rivers

The Mahanadi rises near Sihawa, Amarkantak hills in the highlands of Chhattisgarh and runs through Orissa to discharge its water into the Bay of Bengal. It is 851 km long and its catchment area spreads over 1.42 lakh sq. km. Some navigation is carried on in the lower course of this river. Deltaic stretch of this river is part of National Waterways 5(NW5).

The Godavari is the largest Peninsular river. It rises from the slopes of the Western Ghats in the Nasik district of Maharashtra. It is also called Dakshinganga. It is 1,465 km long with a catchment area spreading over 3.13 lakh sq. km 49 per cent of this, lies in Maharashtra. The Penganga, the Indravati, the Pranhita, and the Manjra are its principal tributaries. It forms a

picturesque gorge in Eastern Ghats. The Godavari is subjected to heavy floods in its lower reaches. It is navigable only in the deltaic stretch. The river after Rajamundri splits into several branches forming a large delta.

The Krishna is the second largest east-flowing Peninsular river which rises from a spring near Mahabaleshwar. Its total length is 1,401 km. The Koyna, the Tungbhadra and the Bhima are its major tributaries. Its drainage basin is shared by Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

The Kaveri rises in Brahmagiri hills (1,341m) of Kogadu district in Karnataka. Its length is 800 km and it drains an area of 81,155 sq. km. Since the upper catchment area receives rainfall during the southwest monsoon season (summer) and the lower part during the northeast monsoon season (winter), the river carries water throughout the year. It flows into the Bay of Bengal at Kaveripatnam. It drains parts of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. Its important tributaries are the Kabini, the Bhavani and the Amravati.

The Brahmani and the Subernarekha rivers drain a part of area between the Ganga and the Mahanadi into the Bay of Bengal. Their drainage area extends over parts of Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh. It supplies water to the Tata steel plant at Jamshedpur.