RIVERS.

BY NAMWANJA T. DANIEL
0706138677
[email protected]
Introduction.
•A river is a mass of water flowing in a
specific channel/ valley from its source
(from high to low altitude areas) under the
influence of gravity.
•The source of a given river may be a lake, a
spring, or glacier and it mouth can be an
ocean, sea, or a lake.
Concepts used.
• Tributary: this is a small stream joining a big stream i.e. that drains its
water in a big stream.
• River rejuvenation: this is renewed erosive power of a river i.e.
regains characteristics of youthful stage.
• A source: this is the beginning point of a river.
• Mouth: this is the ending point of a river.
• River confluence: this is the point where two rivers meet.
• River regime: this is the variation in the volume of water of a given
river at a given period of time according to seasons.
• Load: this refers to the material eroded, transported and deposited
by the river.
The source of River Nile at Jinja. The River Nile leaves Lake
Victoria at Jinja. The tributaries of the Nile flow through nine
countries in Africa into the Mediterranean Sea.
 Work of a river
• A river performs a triple function of erosion,
transportation and depsosition.
• 1) RIVER EROSION
• A river erodes its valley and bed through the
following processes; hydraulic action, abrasion,
solution and attrition.
 Hydraulic action

•This is where a river uses the

force of its water to pound,
weaken and tear rocks along its
valley and it is very common
where there are jointed rocks.
 Abrasion.

•This is where the load is used

as a grinding tool to pound,
weaken and finally remove
rocks i.e. is very common at
the river bed.
 Solution.

•This is the solvent action of a

river i.e. soluble rocks like
limestone, salt, etc are
dissolved and carried by
moving water.
 Attrition.

•This is a process where

moving rocks keep on
knocking and hitting against
each other and finally reduce
in size (break).
THANK YOU
 RIVER TRANSPORTION
• The river transports its materials (load) through
the following ways; suspension, solution,
siltation and traction.
• i) suspension.
• This a process whereby light materials float om
moving water and therefore carried in a
suspended way, such load is called suspension
load.
Suspension load.
ii) solution.
• This a process where soluble materials are dissolved and carried in a
solution form by moving water.
iii) siltation.
•This is a situation where big boulders
are carried by the river in a series of
hops and jumps i.e the water will lift
up the boulder at an interval and then
released to settle and in that process,
the boulder would be travelled/
moved some distance.
iv) traction.
• This is the process by which big or heavy boulders are dragged/ pulled
along the river bed (floor) by moving water.
 RIVER DEPOSITION.

•The river will finally deposit its material

under the following conditions:
•Reduced gradient
•When the river meets still waters eg a lake,
sea or ocean.
•Sudden increase in the river’s load.
River transportation
THANK YOU
THE LONG PROFILE OF A RIVER
• The long profile of a river is that measured slope or
curve from the source to the mouth.
• It can be divided into three sections or stages i.e.
• Upper course
• Middle course
• Lower course.
THE UPPER COURSE/ YOUTHFUL STAGE
• Characteristics
• The river is fast/ swift flowing/ high velocity/ high speed.
• High volume of water.
• High erosive ability.
• Vertical erosion.
• The river is flowing over steep slope/ high gradient.
• Swirling and adding of water is very common.
Features in this stage.

•V- shaped valley (gorge) i.e. narrow deep

steep sided valley.
•Rapids and waterfalls.
•Potholes
•Interlocking spurs.
MIDDLE COURSE/ MATURE STAGE.
• Characteristics
• Reduced gradient.
• High volume of water.
• Lateral erosion starts.
• The river is mainly transporting materials.
• Deposition starts
• The river begins to meander.
Features in this stage.

•U-shaped valleys.
•Transcased spurs.
THE LOWER/ OLD STAGE / SINILE
• This is the last part of the river and has the following characteristic:
• The river is flowing over a very low gradient that is to say gradient is
much reduced.
• The river is sluggish/ very low speed.
• Extenssive deposition of materials/ deposition is dominant.
• The river flows through an open wide valley called a flood plain.
• The river flows in meanders as it looks for steeper gradient.
Features in this stage.
• Flood plain.
• Well developed meanders/ meader loops.
• Levees.
• Braided channels.
• Ox-bow lakes.
• Deltas on some rivers and estuaries.
Features formed along the long profile of a
river.
• A Gorge.
• This is a deep narrow steep sided valley formed in the
youthful stage of a river by mainly vertical and backward
erosion.
• It is formed when a river flows across a rock made up of
alternating hard and soft rocks therefore, this leads to deep
cutting and deep erosion of soft rocks giving the valley a
deep appearance and leaving hard rocks on the sides.
• Gorges are important because they are good
sites for construction of dams for electric power
generation used for domestic and industrial
purpose.
• It is also important as atourist attraction thereby
fetching foreign exchange hence economic
development.
• They are also good sites for the construction of
bridges which facilitates transport.
Waterfall.
• A waterfall is a sharo break in the river bed/ channel causing a river
to flow from high to low levels.
Conditions which leas to the formation of a
waterfall.
• Existance of alternating hard and soft rocks.
• Existance of a permanent water course (permanent river) with
constant flow.
• Existance of a a steep gradient to encourage high speed and erosion.
• Faulting across a river valley.
• Existance of a plateau edge along the river course may also cause a
waterfall, the river crosses from one plateau level to another.
• Existance of a coastal cliff.
• NB; Plunge pool,
• This is a hollow/ depression formed at the base of a waterfall due to
the progressive drilling and grinding of the valley floor by the force of
the water.
• Conditions for the formation of the plunge pool.
• Large volume of water.
• Steep gradient.
• Great erosive energy due to velocity.
• Hard rocks overlying soft rocks.
Examples of waterfalls and plunge pools
• River Sezibwa in Buikwe district.
• River Nile in kiryandongo at Karuma.
• River Kisizi in Rukungiri district.
• River Sipi in Kapchowra.
• Upper course of River Tana.
• River nyakasura in Kabarole district.
Bujjagali falls in jinja
Karuma falls in kiryandongo
Murchison Falls
Sezibwa Falls
Kalagala Falls
Importance of waterfalls and plunge pools.
• Waterfalls are potential sites for development of HEPstations
for power generation that is used for domestic and industrial
purpose.
• They act as tourists attractions thus fetching exchange for
economic social development.
• Both provide water for industrial and domestic use.
• They are a habitat for wildlife especially reptiles thus
promoting tourism among others.
Ox-bow lakes.

•This is a horse-shoe- shaped lake formed

when a pronounced meander is cut off
from the main river by deposition.
•Rivers with ox-bow lakes in east Africa
include: Nzoia, Rwizi, semilki, nyando, tana,
rufigi, ngaira etc.
Flood plain.
•This is a wide flat area of river deposits formed
by the widening of the river valley through
lateral erosion in the senile stage of the river.
•It is formed due to continued lateral river
erosion that widens the river valley and water
deposition will take place on the entire valley
floor during periods of floods hencethe name
flood plains.
Meanders.

•These are bends in the river

channel and they are well
developed in the old /senile stage
of the river.
Braided channels.
• These are sub-divisions of the main river into small channels caused
by deposition in the old stage of the river but later rejion into one
mass of water.
Deltas.
• A delta is a large flat low lying area/ part of a
river mouth where it divides into small channels
called distributaries.
• Deltas are formed at the river mouth as it joins a
waterbody where tidal range of the sea is too
low to remove deposits of a given river.
 DRAINAGE PARTTERNS.
• A drainage pattern is the lay out or arrangement or plan produced by
a river and its tributaries on a given landscape.
• NOTE. The area drained by a river and its tributaries is known as a
river basin or catchment area.
• The area around the river basin which sometimes separates two or
more basins is called a water shed.
• The main river and all its tributaries together form a river system.
• A river system develops a pattern that is related to the general
structure of its basin.
Drainage patterns are determined by several
factors which include;
• The general relief of the landscape over which
the river flows.
• The nature of the slope/ gradient.
• The rock structure of the area.
• Earth movements especially faulting.
• Rain fall.
TYPES OF DRAINAGE PATTERNS
• 1, Dendritic drainage pattern.
• This is where a river resembles a tree and its branches.
• It is produced where a river has many tributaries joining the main
river at small angles e.g., river Tana, R. Athi, R. Nzoia, Rufigi etc.
Centripetal drainage pattern.
• This is formed when rivers flow from different directions and
converge at a central point.
• The central point can be an inland waterbody such as a lake,
centripetal patterns have developed on lakes Baringo, Naivasha,
Maragalasi.
Radial drainage pattern.
• This pattern is formed when rivers flow outwards from a central point
especially from a mountain top e.g. on mountain Elgon , Mt.
Rwenzori, etc.
Trellis drainage pattern.
• This is formed where the main river is joined by tributaries at almost
right angle.
• The main river and its tributaries flow more or less parallel to each
other.
• It develops in regions which are made up of alternative belts of hard
and soft rocks which all flow in the same direction and lie at right
angles e.g. R. Achwa/ Aswa in northern Uganda.
Parallel drainage pattern.
• This consists of a series of streams or rivers running parallel to each
other e.g. Butiaba escarpment.
Importance of rivers to the people of east
Africa.
• They are a source of water for domestic and industrial use.
• They act as fishing grounds therefore provide fish for food and
income.
• They are a source of cheap water transport thereby promoting trade
and movement.
• They act as tourist attractions therefore fetch foreign exchange for
economic and social development.
• Rivers contribute to formation of fertile soils by depositing
silt especially in delta regions hence promoting agriculture.
• Rivers with waterfalls promote generation of hydro electric
power which has stimulated economic and industrial
development.
• Rivers also extend water for irrigation especially in drier parts
of east Africa e.g. R. Tana in Tana basin, R. Nyando at Ahero
irrigation scheme, R. Mubuku at Mubuku irrigation scheme,
R. Nyamindi on Mwea Tebere.
Problems faced in utilizing rivers in east
Africa.
• Some rivers are too short to be used for transport.
• Others tend to flow too fast that it is difficult and risky to use them
for transport.
• Some river valleys are too narrow.
• Others are very shallow and therefore rivers carry a too small volume
of water for any meaningful utilization.
• Major rivers in east Africa have numerous rapids and waterfalls
making it difficult to use them especially for transport.
• Some rivers have been polluted especially by dumping
industrial wastes which is a threat to aquatic life and the
people.
• Some rivers are covered by papyrus and water weeds which
makes utilization difficult e.g. Katonga, Kafue etc.
• Some rivers act as breeding grounds for diseases e.g.
bilharzia, river blindness etc.
• Seasonal flooding which results into destruction of
farmlands, others also cause death of man and animals.
• Droughts which results into drying up making it difficult/
impossible for these rivers during the dry season.
• Wild animals especially reptiles e.g. crocodiles, snakes, and
hippopotamus which cause great danger to the life of people using
rivers.
• Some rivers crisscross borders between countries therefore border
restrictions make it difficult to utilize the rivers.
• All East African countries are financially hand-capped and do not have
appropriate technology to transform rivers so that they can work for ,
not against man.