What are Distributaries?

Hint:
A small distributary has the capability of redirecting lots of water from Main River such that it can also act as the mainstream


Complete step by step solution:
A distributary is a river or stream which subdivides and flows away from the main river and is a frequent feature of a river delta and this process is called as River Bifurcation (River delta is a landform that is formed after the dumping of the sediments which are transferred by the river when it leaves its mouth and goes into other river or pond or reservoir.

A distributary is found near a lake or an ocean or on non-coastal areas.

There are various distributaries in India such as:

- Kollidam River – It is a distributary of river Kaveri
- Inland distributary – It is formed by many Himalayan rivers which are Ganga, Indus, Brahmaputra and many following tributaries.
- A distributary of Indus river is Nara river and of Ganga is Hoogli river


Note:
Tributary is the opposite of Distributary as it is a stream which flows into the large stream or river channels
Some Tributaries of India are- Zanskar, Chenab are the main tributaries of River Indus (Indus also referred as Sindhu nadi is categorized as one of the longest rivers of continent Asia.
River Mandakini and Pindar are the major tributaries of River Alaknanda which connect with River Bhagirathi at Devprayag. One of the five rivers of Punjab is river Jhelum which is a tributary of river Chenab.
One of the longest Indian River is Son which is an important tributary of river Ganga.