NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Geography Chapter 3 Drainage contains answers to the exercise questions given in ‘Contemporary India’. These solutions will help students for the preparation of CBSE Class 9 SST exam. All the answers are useful for exams as most of the questions are asked from the NCERT textbooks. So, students can study these solutions and score high in their exams.
Class 9 Geography Chapter 3 Drainage Questions and Answers
Question 1: Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below.
(i) In which of the following states is the Wular lake located?
(a) Rajasthan
(b) Uttar Pradesh
(c) Punjab
(d) Jammu and Kashmir
Answer: (d) Jammu and Kashmir
(ii) The river Narmada has its source at
(a) Satpura
(b) Brahmagiri
(c) Amarkantak
(d) Slopes of the Western Ghats
Answer: (c) Amarkantak
(iii) Which one of the following lakes is a salt water lake?
(a) Sambhar
(b) Dal
(c) Wular
(d) Gobind Sagar
Answer: (a) Sambhar
(iv) Which one of the following is the longest river of the Peninsular India?
(a) Narmada
(b) Krishna
(c) Godavari
(d) Mahanadi
Answer: (c) Godavari
(v) Which one amongst the following rivers flows through a rift valley?
(a) Mahanadi
(b) Tungabhadra
(c) Krishna
(d) Tapi
Answer: (d) Tapi
Question 2: Answer the following questions briefly.
(i) What is meant by a water divide? Give an example.
Answer: Any upland or a mountain separating two adjoining drainage basins is known as water divide. An example of water divide is the Western Ghats.
(ii) Which is the largest river basin in India?
Answer: The Ganga river basin is the largest river basin in India.
(iii) Where do the rivers Indus and Ganga have their origin?
Answer: The Indus river has its origin in Tibet near the Mansarovar Lake while the Ganga River has its origin in Gangotri Glacier in Uttaranchal.
(iv) Name the two headstreams of the Ganga. Where do they meet to form the Ganga?
Answer: Alaknanda and Bhagirathi are the two headstreams of the Ganga. They both meet to form the Ganga at Devprayag.
(v) Why does the Brahmaputra in its Tibetan part have less silt, despite ab longer course?
Answer: The Brahmaputra river, which is known as Tsangpo in Tibet, receives very little volume of water in Tibet so it carries little silt there. But once it enters India, Brahmaputra is fed by heavy rains, and it carries lot of water and silt.
(vi) Which two Peninsular rivers flow through trough?
Answer: The two rivers that flow through troughs are Narmada and Tapi. They form estuaries while entering the sea.
(vii) State some economic benefits of rivers and lakes.
Answer: Rivers have been of fundamental importance throughout human history. Water from rivers is a basic natural resource, essential for various human activities. Therefore, riverbanks have attracted settlers from ancient times. Using rivers for irrigation, navigation and hydropower generation is of special significance — particularly to a country like India, where agriculture is the major source of livelihood of the majority of its population.
Question 3. Below are given names of a few lakes of India. Group them under two categories – natural and created by human beings. (a) Wular (b) Dal (c) Nainital (d) Bhimtal (e) Gobind Sagar (f) Loktak (g) Barapani (h) Chilika (i) Sambhar (j) Rana Pratap Sagar (k) Nizam Sagar (l) Pulicat (m) Nagarjuna Sagar (n) Hirakund
Answer:
Natural Lakes: Wular, Dal, Nainital, Bhimtal, Loktak, Chilika, Pulicat, Sambhar, Barapani,
Created by human beings: Gobind Sagar, Hirakud, Rana Pratap Sagar, Nagarjuna Sagar,Nizam Sagar
Question 4: Discuss the significant difference between the Himalayan and the Peninsular rivers.
Answer:
| Himalayan Rivers | Peninsular Rivers |
| Orginate from Himalayas | Originate in the Deccan Plateau |
| These are perennial rivers. | These are seasonal rivers. |
| They receive water from rain as well as from melted snow from the lofty mountains. | These rivers are dependent upon rainfall. During the dry season, even the large rivers have reduced flow of water |
Question 5: Compare the east flowing and the west flowing rivers of the Peninsular plateau.
Answer:
| East Flowing Rivers | West Flowing Rivers |
| Major rivers flowing eastwards: Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri | Only two long rivers flow westwards: Narmada, Tapi |
| These rivers drain in the Bay of Bengal. | These rivers drain in the Arabian sea. |
| Carry greater amount of sediments, so form deltas at their mouths. | Carry lesser amount of sediments, so form estuaries at their mouths. |
| Greater number of tributaries | Lesser number of tributaries |
| These river flow not through very deep canals. | These rivers flow in troughs. |
Question 6: Why are rivers important for the country’s economy?
Answer: Rivers have been of fundamental importance throughout human history. Water from rivers is a basic natural resource, essential for various human activities.
Therefore, riverbanks have attracted settlers from ancient times. These settlements have now become big cities. Using rivers for irrigation, navigation, hydropower generation is of special significance — particularly to a country like India, where agriculture is the major source of livelihood of the majority of its population.