RIVER KRISHNA - GEOGRAPHY

News: Krishna water flow into the State border of KP canal dropping steadily

 

What's in the news?

       Flow of Krishna water from Andhra Pradesh has been dropping steadily in the State border of KP canal at Uthukottai, Tiruvallur district since December 9. This comes in the wake of all city reservoirs heading to full storage capacity this monsoon.

 

River Krishna:

       It is the 3rd-longest river in India, after the Ganges and Godavari, and the 4th-largest river in terms of water inflows and river basin area after the Ganges, Indus and Godavari.

       The total length of the river is about 1,400 kilometers and it falls in the Bay of Bengal.

 

Geographical Distribution:

       The river is bordered by;

       The Balaghat range in the north.

       The Eastern Ghats in the South and the East.

       The Western Ghats in the West.

       It rises from the Western Ghats in the Satara district of Maharashtra near Mahabaleshwar.

       It is the major source of irrigation in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

 

Tributaries:

       Left Bank tributaries - Bhima, Dindi, Peddavagu, Musi, Paleru, Munneru.

       Right Bank tributaries - Kudali (Niranjna), Venna, Koyna, Panchganga, Dudhaganga, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, Tungabhadra.

       The largest tributary of the Krishna River is the Tungabhadra River, but the longest tributary is the Bhima River.

 

Economic Importance:

       The important types of soil found in the Krishna basin are black soils, red soils, laterite and lateritic soils, alluvium, mixed soils, red and black soils and saline and alkaline soils.

       The Krishna-Godavari delta is known as the "Rice Granary of India."

       Krishna river basin is rich in mineral deposits such as oil & gas, coal, iron, limestone, dolomite, gold, granite, laterite, uranium, diamonds, etc. The following are the few noted deposits:

 

Important dams on Krishna River:

       Basava Sagar Dam

       Nagarjuna Sagar Dam

       Srisailam Dam

       Prakasham Barrage