Identify the river of the Indian sub-continent on the basis of the following information:
- It has an antecedent drainage system.
- It flows through three countries.
- It originates in the Tibetan Plateau and is an important river for irrigation.
- It does not form distributaries. Select the answer from the following:
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The Indus is one of the classic antecedent rivers of the Himalaya — it predates the orogeny and cut down through rising ranges (forming gorges near Nanga Parbat). It originates near Lake Mansarovar in the Tibetan Plateau, flows through China (Tibet), India (Ladakh) and Pakistan — three countries — and is the lifeline of Pakistan's Punjab and Sindh irrigation, while in India it underpins the Indus Waters Treaty allocations. It empties into the Arabian Sea forming a delta but does not bifurcate into significant distributaries upstream. Brahmaputra has multiple distributaries; Sutlej originates in Tibet but flows through only two countries; Teesta does not originate in Tibet proper.