Godavari River
• The Godavari is the largest river system of the Peninsular India and is revered as Dakshina Ganga.
• The Godavari basin extends over states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha in addition to smaller parts in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Union territory of Puducherry (Yanam) having a total area of 3 lakh Sq.km.
• The basin is bounded by Satmala hills, the Ajanta range and the Mahadeo hills on the north, by the Eastern Ghats on the south and the east and by the Western Ghats on the west.
• Godavari River rises from Trimbakeshwar in the Nashik district of Maharashtra about 80 km from Arabian Sea at an elevation of 1,067 m. • The total length of Godavari from its origin to outfall into the Bay of Bengal is 1,465 km.
Tributaries of Godavari River
• The left bank tributaries are more in number and larger in size than the right bank tributaries.
• The Manjra (724 km) is the only important Right Bank Tributary, joins the Godavari after passing through the Nizam Sagar.
• Left Bank Tributaries: Dharna, Penganga, Wainganga, Wardha, Pranahita [conveying the combined waters of Penganga, the Wardha and Wainganga], Pench, Kanhan, Sabari, Indravati etc.
• Right Bank Tributaries: Pravara, Mula, Manjra, Peddavagu, Maner etc. • Below Rajahmundry, the river divides itself into two main streams, the Gautami Godavari on the east and the Vashishta Godavari on the west and forms a large delta before it pours into the Bay of Bengal.
• The delta of the Godavari is of lobate type with a round bulge and many distributaries.
Projects on Godavari River
• Important projects completed duing the plan period are Srirama Sagar, Godavari barrage, Upper Penganga, Jaikwadi, Upper Wainganga, Upper Indravati, Upper Wardha.
• Among the on-going projects, the prominent ones are Prnahita-Chevala and Polavaram.
⮚ Floods and Droughts in Godavari Basin
• Godavari basin faces flooding problem in its lower reaches. • The coastal areas are cyclone-prone.
• The delta areas face drainage congestion due to flat topography. • A large portion of Maharashtra falling (Marathwada) in the basin is drought prone.
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