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At Prayagraj, the muddy waters of the Ganga and the clearer, bluish waters of the Yamuna meet at the Sangam — one of the holiest places in India and the site of the Kumbh. Uttar Pradesh is, above all, a land of rivers: they built its plains, fed its farms, carried its trade and shaped its cities. For UPPSC, the rivers are a core geography topic.
The two great river systems
| System | Direction | Tributaries |
|---|---|---|
| Ganga | Enters UP near Bijnor; flows south-east; leaves UP near Ballia into Bihar | Ramganga, Gomti, Ghaghara, Yamuna (at Prayagraj), Tons, Son (partly), and others |
| Yamuna | Forms part of UP's western boundary; flows south-east to join the Ganga at Prayagraj | Hindon, Chambal, Sind, Betwa, Ken |
The Ganga
- Rises at Gangotri (Uttarakhand) as the Bhagirathi; becomes the Ganga at Devprayag after joining the Alaknanda.
- Enters the plains at Haridwar (Uttarakhand) and UP near Bijnor.
- Flows past Farrukhabad, Kannauj, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Ghazipur and Ballia.
- UP has the longest stretch of the Ganga of any state.
- The Ganga is India's national river (declared 2008).
The Yamuna
- Rises at Yamunotri (Uttarakhand).
- Flows along the UP–Haryana border, past Delhi, then through Mathura and Agra (the Taj stands on its bank), Etawah, Hamirpur, and joins the Ganga at Prayagraj.
Himalayan tributaries of the Ganga
| River | Origin | Course in UP | Joins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramganga | Uttarakhand (Kumaon) | Moradabad, Bareilly | Ganga near Kannauj |
| Gomti | Gomat Tal, near Pilibhit (a plains river, spring/groundwater-fed) | Lucknow, Sultanpur, Jaunpur | Ganga near Varanasi–Ghazipur (at Kaithi) |
| Ghaghara (Karnali) | Tibet / Nepal Himalaya | Bahraich, Gonda, Ayodhya (as the Saryu), Ballia | Ganga near Chhapra (Bihar) |
| Sharda (Kali) | Uttarakhand–Nepal border | Forms part of the border; Lakhimpur Kheri | Ghaghara |
| Rapti | Nepal | Balrampur, Siddharthnagar, Gorakhpur | Ghaghara |
| Gandak | Nepal | Along the UP–Bihar border (Maharajganj, Kushinagar) | Ganga in Bihar |
Peninsular (southern) tributaries of the Yamuna
| River | Origin | Course | Joins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chambal | Vindhyas (MP) | Along the MP–Rajasthan border; ravines | Yamuna near Etawah–Jalaun |
| Sind | MP | — | Yamuna (near Pachnada) |
| Betwa | MP (near Bhopal) | Jhansi, Hamirpur | Yamuna near Hamirpur |
| Ken | MP (Kaimur hills) | Banda; Panna National Park upstream (MP) | Yamuna near Chilla (Banda) |
| Son | Amarkantak (MP) | Flows through Sonbhadra | Ganga in Bihar |
| Tons | MP | — | Ganga near Prayagraj |
Pachnada
Near the border of Etawah, Jalaun and Auraiya, five rivers — the Yamuna, Chambal, Sind, Kwari and Pahuj — meet at Pachnada, a rare confluence.
Rivers and cities
| City | River |
|---|---|
| Lucknow, Jaunpur | Gomti |
| Kanpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj | Ganga |
| Agra, Mathura | Yamuna |
| Ayodhya | Saryu (Ghaghara) |
| Gorakhpur | Rapti |
| Varanasi | Also the Varuna and Assi (giving the name Varanasi) |
Dams, barrages and canals
| Project | River | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rihand Dam (Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar) | Rihand (a tributary of the Son) | Sonbhadra; one of India's largest artificial lakes by volume; power and irrigation |
| Matatila Dam | Betwa | Lalitpur; irrigation and power |
| Rajghat Dam | Betwa | Joint UP–MP project |
| Narora barrage | Ganga | Bulandshahr; the Narora Atomic Power Station is nearby |
| Upper Ganga Canal | Ganga | Opened in 1854; headworks at Haridwar (now Uttarakhand); irrigates the Doab |
| Lower Ganga Canal | Ganga | Headworks at Narora |
| Sharda Canal | Sharda | One of the largest canal systems; irrigates central UP |
| Eastern Yamuna Canal | Yamuna | Western UP |
| Ken–Betwa link | Ken → Betwa | India's first river-interlinking project under the national plan; to bring water to Bundelkhand (UP and MP) |
River problems
| Problem | Examples |
|---|---|
| Pollution | Sewage and industrial effluent — Kanpur's tanneries, the Hindon and Kali in western UP |
| Floods | Ghaghara, Rapti, Sharda in eastern UP; rivers from Nepal |
| Reduced flow | Water extraction; barrages |
| Encroachment | On floodplains in cities |
| Sand mining | In Yamuna, Ken, Betwa |
See our guides on the Ganga and on water resources.
Practice
Prelims-style:
- Where does the Gomti originate?
- What is the Ghaghara called at Ayodhya?
- Which five rivers meet at Pachnada?
- On which river is the Rihand Dam, and what is its reservoir called?
- When was the Upper Ganga Canal opened?
Mains-style:
- "UP's rivers are its lifeline but also a source of disasters." Discuss.
- Examine the significance of the Ken–Betwa link project for Bundelkhand.
Map exercise
Draw UP's rivers and mark the Sangam, Pachnada, Rihand, Narora, the Ken–Betwa link, and the cities on each river.
A note on dates and numbers. Exam patterns, vacancies and schedules change from year to year. Always confirm the current details in the latest notification on the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission website .
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