The Arabian Sea, a massive ecological and economic region, is fed by several rivers from the Western Ghats to the west coast of India. These rivers include many South Indian ones which pass through well-watered valleys and watered sceneries before they meet the Arabian Sea. Apart from supplying freshwater resources, these rivers also sustain different ecosystems and livelihoods along their shores. Here are some of the more important South Indian rivers that flow into the Arabian Sea:
Krishna River: The Krishna River that originates in Maharashtra’s Western Ghats runs across Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh states before discharging into the Arabian Sea. The Krishna basin is known for its agricultural potentiality and it aids a large population via irrigation works as well as water supply.
Godavari River: Godavari which is often called Dakshin Ganga or southward Ganga is second longest river of India. It starts in the Western Ghats in Maharashtra and stretches through Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh before falling into Bay of Bengal. It makes extensive deltas on the way nourishing rich lands before joining with Arabian Sea.Kaveri River: The Kaveri, one of the sacred rivers of India, originates in the Western Ghats of Karnataka and flows through Tamil Nadu and Puducherry before joining the Bay of Bengal. Even though it is mostly associated with the east coast, near Poompuhar in Tamil Nadu, Kaveri creates a small delta merging into Arabian Sea during monsoon season causing fresh water inflows into this sea.
Tungabhadra River: A stream which joins Krishna river, Tungabhadra starts from Western Ghats located at Karnataka. It goes through Bellary and Raichur districts where it forms Tungabhadra Dam so as to enter Krishna River after that. In any case, they later pour out in Arabian Sea via combined waters from Tungabhadra and Krishna Rivers.
These rivers form not only the main sources of life for millions of people living in their basins but also important factors for ecological stability of the Western Ghats and coastal bank of Arabian Sea. Nonetheless, accelerated urbanization, industrialization and uncontrolled pollution are significant threats to health and sustainability of these river ecosystems. Consequently, effective actions towards conservation as well as sustainable management and renewal must be taken to protect these indispensable water resources for coming ages.
