Godavari River
The Godavari is India's second longest river after the Ganges River, and drains the third largest basin in India, covering about 10% of the total geographical area. Its source is in Trimbakeshwar, Nashik, Maharashtra. It flows east for, draining the states of Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. The river ultimately empties into the Bay of Bengal through an extensive network of distributaries. Its drainage basin is one of the largest in the Indian subcontinent, with only the Ganga and Indus rivers having a larger drainage basin. In terms of length, catchment area and discharge, the Godavari is the largest in peninsular India, and had been dubbed as the Dakshina Ganga.
The rive continues to harbour and nourish a rich Asset of India. In the past few decades, the river has been barricaded by several barrages and dams, keeping a head of water which lowers evaporation. Its broad river delta houses 729 persons/km2 – nearly twice the Indian average population density and has a substantial risk of flooding, which in lower parts would be exacerbated if the global sea level were to rise.
Course
The Godavari originates in the Western Ghats of central India, near Nashik in Maharashtra, from the Arabian Sea. It flows for, first eastwards across the Deccan Plateau, then turns southeast, entering the Eluru district and Alluri Sitharama Raju district of Andhra Pradesh, until it splits into two distributaries that widen into a large river delta at Dhavaleshwaram Barrage, in Rajamahendravaram, and then flows into the Bay of Bengal.The Godavari River has a coverage area of, which is nearly one-tenth of the area of India and is equivalent to the area of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland put together. The river basin is considered to be divided into 3 sections:
- Upper,
- Middle and
- Lower.
Within Maharashtra
The river originates in Maharashtra state and has an extensive course. The upper basin, of which lies entirely within the state, cumulatively draining an area as large as – about half the area of Maharashtra. Within Nashik district, the river assumes a north-easterly course until it flows into the Gangapur Reservoir, created by a dam of the same name. The reservoir along with the Kashypi Dam, provides potable water to Nashik, one of the largest cities located on its banks. The river, as it emerges through the dam, some upstream from Nashik, flows on a rocky bed, undulated by a series of chasms and rocky ledges, resulting in the formation of two significant waterfalls – the Gangapur and the Someshwar waterfalls. The latter, located at Someshwar, is more popularly known as the Dudhsagar Waterfall. About east of Gangapur, the river passes the town of Nashik, where it collects its effluents in the form of the river Nandini on its right bank.About south of Nashik, the river bends sharply to the east, washing the base of a high cliff formerly the site of a Mughal fort, but which is now being eroded away by the action of floods. About below Nashik is the confluence of the Godavari and one of its tributaries, the Darna. The stream occupies, for nine months in the year, a small space in a wide and gravelly bed, the greyish banks being high, topped with a deep layer of black soil. A few kilometres after its meeting with the Darna, the Godavari swerves to the north-east, before the Banganga, from the north-west, meets it on the left. The course of the main stream then tends more decidedly south. At Nandur-Madhmeshwar, the Kadva, a second large affluent, brings considerable increase to the waters of the Godavari. The river begins its southeasterly course characteristic of rivers of the Deccan Plateau. The river exits the Niphad Taluka of Nashik and enters the Kopargaon taluka, Ahmednagar District. Within Ahmednagar District the river quickly completes its short course, flowing alongside the town of Kopargaon and reaching Puntamba. Beyond this, the river serves as a natural boundary between the following districts:
- Ahmednagar and Aurangabad: Along the boundary here, it receives its first major tributary the Pravara River, draining the former district. The confluence is located at Pravarasangam. By virtue of a sub-tributary of Pravara – Mandohol, which originates in Pune District – the basin impinges the Pune district. The river at Paithan has been impounded by the Jayakwadi Dam forming the NathSagar Reservoir. Kalsubai located in Godavari basin, is the highest peak in Maharashtra.
- Beed and Jalna
- Beed and Parbhani: Located along here is its merger with Sindphana, an important tributary which drains a considerably large area within Beed. The sub-tributary river Bindusara forms a landmark at Beed.
Its course is relatively non-significant except for receiving two smaller streams – Indrayani and Masuli – merging at its left and right banks, respectively. Within the last taluka of the district Parbhani, Purna, the river drains a major tributary of the same name: Purna.
It then exits into the neighbouring district of Nanded where before reaching the town Nanded, it is impounded by the Vishnupuri Dam and thus with it, bringing Asia's largest lift irrigation projects to life. A little downstream from Nanded, the river receives Asna, a small stream, on its left bank. It then runs into the controversial Babli project soon ends its course within Maharashtra, albeit temporarily, at its merger with a major tributary – Manjira.
The river after flowing into Telangana, re-emerges to run as a state boundary separating the Mancherial, Telangana from Gadchiroli, Maharashtra. At the state border, it runs between Sironcha and Somnoor Sangam receiving one tributary at each of those nodal points – the Pranhita and subsequently the Indravati.
Within Telangana
Godavari enters into Telangana in Nizamabad district at Kandakurthy where Manjira, Haridra rivers joins Godavari and forms Triveni Sangamam. The river flows along the border between Nirmal and Mancherial districts in the north and Nizamabad, Jagtial, Peddapalli districts to its south. About after entering Telangana it merges with the back waters of the Sriram Sagar Dam. The river after emerging through the dam gates, enjoys a wide river bed, often splitting to encase sandy islands. The river receives a minor but significant tributary Kadam river. It then emerges at its eastern side to act as a state border with Maharashtra only to later enter into Bhadradri Kothagudem district. In this district, the river flows through an important Hindu pilgrimage town – Bhadrachalam.The river further swells after receiving a minor tributary Kinnerasani River and exits into Andhra Pradesh.
Within Andhra Pradesh
Within the state of Andhra Pradesh, the river flows through hilly terrain of the Eastern Ghats known as the Papi hills which explains the narrowing of its bed as it flows through a gorge for a few km, only to re-widen at Polavaram. The deepest bed level of a submarine plunge pool in Godavari River, located 36 km upstream of Polavaram dam, is at 45 meters below the sea level. Before crossing the Papi hills, it receives its last major tributary Sabari River on its left bank. The river upon reaching the plains begins to widen out until it reaches Rajamahendravaram. Arma Konda is the highest peak in the Godavari river basin as well as in the Eastern Ghats.Dowleswaram Barrage was constructed across the river in Rajamahendravaram. At Rajamahendravaram, the Godavari splits into two large branches which are called Gautami and Vasishta Godavari and five smaller branches. Similarly, the Vasishta splits into two branches named Vasishta and Vainateya. These four branches which join the Bay of Bengal at different places, form a delta of length along the coast of the Bay of Bengal and is called the Konaseema region. This delta along with the delta of the Krishna River is called the Rice Granary of South India.
Within Puducherry
The Gautami which is the largest branch of the whole passes along Yanam enclave of Union territory of Puducherry and empties into sea at Point Godavery. In fact, Yanam is bounded on south by Gautami branch and the Coringa River originates at Yanam which merges into the sea near Coringa village in Andhra Pradesh.Discharge
Mean annual, minimum and maximum discharge at Rajahmundry :Tributaries
The major left bank tributaries include the Purna, Pranhita, Indravati, and Sabari River, covering nearly 59.7% of the total catchment area of the basin. The right bank tributaries Pravara, Manjira, and Manair contribute 16.1% of the basin.The Pranhita River is the largest tributary of the Godavari River, covering about 34% of its drainage basin. Though the river proper flows only for, by virtue of its extensive tributaries Wardha, Wainganga, Penganga, the sub-basin drains all of Vidharba region as well as the southern slopes of the Satpura Ranges. Indravati is the 2nd largest tributary, known as the "lifeline" of the Kalahandi, Nabarangapur of Odisha and Bastar district of Chhattisgarh. Due to their enormous sub-basins both Indravati and Pranhita are considered rivers in their own right. Manjira is the longest tributary and holds the Nizam Sagar reservoir. Purna is a prime river in the water scarce Marathwada region of Maharashtra.
| Tributary | Bank | Confluence location | Confluence elevation | Length | Sub-basin area |
| Pravara | Right | Pravara Sangam, Nevasa, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra | |||
| Purna | Left | Jambulbet, Parbhani, Marathwada, Maharashtra | |||
| Manjira | Right | Kandakurthi, Renjal, Nizamabad, Telangana | |||
| Manair | Right | Arenda, Manthani, Peddapalli, Telangana | |||
| Pranhita | Left | Kaleshwaram, Mahadevpur, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Telangana | |||
| Indravati | Left | Somnoor Sangam, Sironcha, Gadchiroli, Maharashtra | |||
| Sabari | Left | Kunawaram, Alluri Sitharama Raju district, Andhra Pradesh |
Other than these seven principal tributaries, it has many smaller but significant ones draining into it. Indravati river floodwaters overflow into the Jouranala which is part of Sabari basin. A barrage at is constructed across the Indravati river to divert Indravati water in to Sabari river for enhanced hydropower generation.