In this article, You will read the Important Waterfalls in India, and Important Waterfalls in the World – for UPSC IAS.
A waterfall is an area where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops in the course of a stream or river. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls are commonly formed in the upper course of a river where lakes flow into valleys in steep mountains.
A plunge pool (or plunge basin or waterfall lake) is a deep depression in a stream bed at the base of a waterfall or shut-in. It is created by the erosional forces of cascading water on the rocks at the formation’s base where the water impacts.
Waterfalls are an important factor in determining the distribution of lotic organisms such as fish and aquatic invertebrates, as they may restrict dispersal along streams. The presence or absence of certain species can have cascading ecological effects, and thus cause differences in trophic regimes above and below waterfalls. Certain aquatic insects also specialize in the environment of the waterfall itself.
Types of Waterfalls
- Ledge waterfall: Water descends vertically over a vertical cliff, maintaining partial contact with the bedrock.
- Cataract: A large, powerful waterfall.
- Horsetail: Descending water maintains some contact with bedrock.
- Plunge: Fast-moving water descends vertically, losing contact with the bedrock surface.
- Block: Water descends from a relatively wide stream or river.
- Multi-step: A series of waterfalls one after another of roughly the same size each with its own sunken plunge pool.
- Segmented: Distinctly separate flows of water form as it descends.
- Cascade: Water descends a series of rock steps.
- Punchbowl: Water descends in a constricted form and then spreads out in a wider pool.
- Tiered: Water drops in a series of distinct steps or falls.
- Fan: Water spreads horizontally as it descends while remaining in contact with bedrock.
- Moulin: A moulin is a waterfall in a glacier.
There is no standard way to measure the height or width of a waterfall. No ranking of waterfalls should be assumed because of the heights or widths provided in the list. Many numbers are estimated and measurements may be imprecise.
List of Highest Waterfalls in India
- Kunchikal Falls in Shimoga District Karnataka is the highest waterfall in India with a height of 1493 feet.
- The highest waterfall in India (Kunchikal Falls) is formed by the Varahi River.
- Dudhsagar falls is known as the ‘Sea of milk’, it is formed from the Mandovi River.
- Ranchi, the capital city of Jharkhand is known as the city of waterfalls in India.
- Nohkalikai Falls located near Cherrapunji is the tallest plunge waterfall in India. Its height is 1115 feet (340 metres) and is one of the wettest places on Earth.
- The Western Ghats are known as the Cherrapunji of South India.
- Nohsngithiang Falls (also known as the Seven Sisters Waterfalls or Mawsmai Falls) is a seven-segmented waterfall located 1 kilometre south of Mawsmai village in East Khasi Hills district in the Indian state of Meghalaya.
|Waterfalls in India||Location||Height Metre/Feet||Feature|
|Kunchikal Falls||Shimoga district, Karnataka||455 metres (1,493 ft)||Tiered, Highest waterfall in India|
|Barehipani Falls||Mayurbhanj district, Odisha||399 metres (1,309 ft)||2 tiered waterfalls|
|Nohkalikai Falls||East Khasi Hills district, Meghalaya||340m (1115 feet)||tallest plunge type waterfalls|
|Nohsngithiang Falls or Mawsmai Falls||East Khasi Hills district, Meghalaya||315 metres (1,033 ft)||segmented type waterfalls|
|Dudhsagar Falls||Karnataka and Goa||310 m(1017 feet)||4 tiered waterfalls|
|Kynrem Falls||East Khasi Hills district, Meghalaya||305 metres (1,001 ft)||3 tiered waterfalls|
|Meenmutty Falls||Wayanad district, Kerala||300 metres (984 feet)||3 tiered waterfalls/ segmented type|
|Thalaiyar Falls||Batlagundu, Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu||297 metres (974 ft)||horsetail type waterfalls|
|Vajrai Falls||Satara district, Maharashtra||260 metres (853 ft)||3 tiered, 2nd tallest plunge type waterfall|
|Barkana Falls||Shimoga district, Karnataka||259 metres (850 ft)||tiered waterfalls|
|Jog Falls||Shimoga district, Karnataka||253 metres (830 ft)||cascade waterfalls|
|Khandadhar Falls||Kendujhar district & Sundergarh district, Odisha||244 metres (801 ft)||Horse tail type falls|
|Vantawng Falls||Serchhip district, Mizoram||229 metres (751 ft)||2 tiered waterfalls|
|Kune Falls||Pune district, Maharashtra||200 metres (660 ft)||3 tiered waterfalls|
|Soochipara Falls, Thoseghar Waterfalls||Wayanad district, Kerala, Satara district Maharashtra||200 metres (656 feet)||3 tiered waterfalls|
|Magod Falls||Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka||198 metres (650 ft)||2 tiered/Segmented waterfalls|
|Joranda Falls||Mayurbhanj district, Odisha||181 metres (594 ft)||plunge type waterfalls|
|Hebbe Falls||Chikkamagaluru district, Karnataka||168 metres (551 ft)||2 tiered waterfalls|
|Duduma Falls||the border of Koraput (Odisha) and Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)||157 metres (515 ft)||plunge type waterfalls|
|Palani Falls||Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh||150 metres (490 ft)||Surge waterfalls|
|Lodh Falls||Latehar district, Jharkhand||143 metres (469 ft)||2 tiered waterfalls|
|Bahuti Falls||Mauganj, Rewa district, Madhya Pradesh||198 metres (650 ft)||2 tiered waterfalls, tallest waterfall in madhya Pradesh|
|Bishop Falls||East Khasi Hills district, Meghalaya||135 metres (443 ft)||3 tiered waterfalls|
|Chachai Falls||Rewa district, Madhya Pradesh||130 metres (430 ft)||on bihad river, comes down from Rewa Plateau|
|Keoti Falls||Rewa district, Madhya Pradesh||130 metres (430 ft)||segmented type waterfall|
|Kalhatti Falls||Chikkamagaluru district, Karnataka||122 metres (400 ft)||–|
|Beadon Falls||East Khasi Hills district, Meghalaya||120 metres (390 ft)||3 tiered waterfall, twin of Bishop Falls|
|Keppa Falls||Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka||116 metres (381 ft)||fan type waterfall|
|Koosalli Falls||Udupi, Karnataka||116 metres (381 ft)||6 tiered waterfall|
|Dabbe falls||Shivamogga, Sagar, Karnataka||110 metres(360 ft)||–|
|Pandavgad Falls||Thane, Maharashtra||107 metres (351 ft)||Plunge waterfall|
|Rajat Prapat||Hoshangabad district, Madhya Pradesh||107 metres (351 ft)||horsetail type waterfall|
|Bundla Falls||kaimur district bihar||100 metres (330 ft)||–|
|Vantawng Falls||Serchhip district, Mizoram||230 metres (750 ft)||2 tiered waterfalls|
|Shivanasamudra Falls||Chamarajanagar District, Karnataka||98 metres (322 ft)||segmented type|
|Lower Ghaghri Falls||Latehar district, Jharkhand||98 metres (322 ft)||cascade waterfalls|
|Hundru Falls||Ranchi district, Jharkhand||98 metres (322 ft)||segmented type|
|Sweet Falls||East Khasi Hills district, Meghalaya||96 metres (315 ft)||horsetail type|
|Agaya Gangai||Namakkal, Tamil Nadu||92 metres (302 ft)||1 tiered/segmented waterfalls|
|Gatha Falls||Panna district, Madhya Pradesh||91 metres (299 ft)||–|
|Teerathgarh Falls||Baster district, Chhattisgarh||91 metres (299 ft)||Block type Waterfall|
|Kiliyur Falls||Yercaud, Tamil Nadu||91 metres (299 ft)||fan type waterfall|
|Kudumari Falls||Udupi district, Karnataka||91 metres (299 ft)||horsetail type waterfall|
|Muthyala Maduvu Falls||Bangalore rural district, Karnataka||91 metres (299 ft)||–|
|Tirathgarh Falls||Bastar district, Chhattisgarh||91 metres (299 ft)||horsetail type waterfall|
|Langshiang Falls||West Khasi Hills district, Meghalaya||85 metres (279 ft)||–|
|Talakona falls||Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh||82 metres (269 ft)||highest waterfall in andhra pradesh|
|Kakolat Falls||Nawada district, Bihar||50 metres (160 ft)||cataract waterfall|
|Athirappilly Falls||Thrissur district, Kerala||25 metres (82 ft)||Block/Segmented type waterfall|
|Chuliya Waterfall||Rajasthan||—||Chambal River|
- The famous Athirappally Waterfalls is located on the Chalakudy River in Thrissur district of Kerala.
- It originates from the upper reaches of the Western Ghats at the entrance to the Sholayar ranges.
- It is the largest waterfall in Kerala, which stands tall at 80 feet and is nicknamed “The Niagara of India”.
- Controversy about a state-proposed hydroelectric dam on the Chalakudy River above the waterfalls began in the 1990s and continued through 2021.
List of Highest Waterfalls in the World
Famous Waterfalls in the World
- Iguazu Falls – forms a border between Argentina and Brazil. It is the largest waterfall system in the world.
- Niagara Falls – share the international border of Canada and the United States and lie in the states of new york and province of Ontario. It is a collective name of three waterfalls.
- Victoria Falls – One of the Seven natural wonders of the world by CNN. It is in South Africa on the Zambezi river and shares the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia.
- Kaieteur Falls – is in Guyana. It is twice as high as Victoria Falls and 5 times higher than Niagara Falls.
- Angel Falls – are the world’s highest uninterrupted waterfalls, on the Churún River, a tributary of the Caroní river.
- Paulo Afonso Falls – is a series of waterfalls on the São Francisco River in the north-east of Brazil.
- Livingstone Falls – are a succession of enormous rapids on the lower course of the Congo River in west equatorial Africa, downstream from Malebo Pool in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Boyoma Falls (Stanley Falls) – Boyoma Falls, formerly known as Stanley Falls, is a series of seven cataracts, along a curve of the Lualaba River between the river port towns of Ubundu and Kisangani in the Orientale Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Beyond the cataract the Lualaba becomes the Congo River.
- Tugela Falls – Tugela Falls is a complex of seasonal waterfalls located in the Drakensberg of Royal Natal National Park in KwaZulu-Natal Province, Republic of South Africa.
- Utigord Falls – in Norway, also known as Ramnefjellsfossen or Utigardsfossen is unofficially listed as the third-highest waterfall in the world.
- Alexandra Falls – is located on the Hay River in Canada.
- Idaho Falls – on the Snake River, United States.
- International Falls – on the south bank of Rainy River, Minnesota, United States.
- Browne Falls – is a waterfall above Doubtful Sound, which is located in Fiordland National Park, New Zealand.
|Waterfalls in the World||Height – Metres/Feets||Locality||Country|
|Angel Falls||979 metres (3,212 ft)||Canaima National Park, Bolívar||Venezuela|
|Tugela Falls||948 metres (3,110 ft)||KwaZulu-Natal||South Africa|
|Tres Hermanas Falls||914 metres (2,999 ft)||Otishi National Park, Junin||Peru|
|Olo’upena Falls||900 metres (2,953 ft)||Molokai, Hawaii||United States|
|Yumbilla Falls||896 metres (2,940 ft)||Amazonas||Peru|
|Vinnufossen||860 metres (2,822 ft)||Møre og Romsdal||Norway|
|Balåifossen||850 metres (2,789 ft)||Hordaland||Norway|
|Pu’uka’oku Falls||840 metres (2,756 ft)||Hawaii||United States|
|James Bruce Falls||840 metres (2,756 ft)||British Columbia||Canada|
|Browne Falls||836 metres (2,743 ft)||Doubtful Sound, Southland||New Zealand|
|Strupenfossen||820 metres (2,690 ft)||Sogn og Fjordane||Norway|
|Ramnefjellsfossen||818 metres (2,684 ft)||Sogn og Fjordane||Norway|
|Waihilau Falls||792 metres (2,598 ft)||Hawaii||United States|
|Colonial Creek Falls||788 metres (2,585 ft)||Washington||United States|
|Mongefossen||773 metres (2,536 ft)||Møre og Romsdal||Norway|
|Gocta Cataracts||771 metres (2,530 ft)||Amazonas||Peru|
|Mutarazi Falls||762 metres (2,500 ft)||Manicaland||Zimbabwe|
|Kjelfossen||755 metres (2,477 ft)||Sogn og Fjordane||Norway|
|Yosemite Falls||739 metres (2,425 ft)||California||United States|
|Cascades de Trou de Fer||725 metres (2,379 ft)||Réunion||France|
|Olmaafossen||720 metres (2,362 ft)||Møre og Romsdal||Norway (Tallest Waterfall in Norway)|
|Manawainui Falls||719 metres (2,359 ft)||Hawaii||United States|
|Kjeragfossen||715 metres (2,346 ft)||Rogaland||Norway|
|Avalanche Basin Falls||707 metres (2,320 ft)||Montana||United States|
|Harrison Basin Falls||707 metres (2,320 ft)||Montana||United States|
|Haloku Falls||700 metres (2,297 ft)||Hawaii||United States|
|Chamberlain Falls||700 metres (2,297 ft)||Southland||New Zealand|
|Alfred Creek Falls||700 metres (2,297 ft)||British Columbia||Canada|
|Døntefossen||700 metres (2,297 ft)||Møre og Romsdal||Norway|
|Brufossen||698 metres (2,290 ft)||Hordaland||Norway|
|Spirefossen||690 metres (2,264 ft)||Sogn og Fjordane||Norway|
|Lake Unknown Falls||680 metres (2,231 ft)||Otago||New Zealand|
|Kukenam, Salto||674 metres (2,211 ft)||Bolívar||Venezuela|
|Yutaj, Salto||671 metres (2,201 ft)||Amazonas||Venezuela|
|La Chorrera Falls||590 metres (1,936 ft)||Cundinamarca||Colombia|
World’s highest Waterfalls (Artificial Waterfalls)
|Artificial Waterfall in the world||Height Metres/Feet||Country|
|Cascata Delle Marmore (Created by Ancient Romans) tallest man-made waterfall in the world||165 metres (541 ft)||Parco Fluviale del NeraItaly|
|Liebian Waterfall (largest artificial waterfall in the world, tallest waterfall included in a building)||108 metres (354 ft)||Liebian International PlazaChina|
|Rain Vortex – Largest Indoor Waterfall||40 metres (131 ft)||Jewel Changi AirportSingapore|
|Cloud Forest Indoor Waterfall||35 metres (115 ft)||Cloud Forest, Gardens by the BaySingapore|
|Jurong Falls||30 metres (98 ft)||Jurong Bird ParkSingapore|
|Viktoriapark Waterfall||24 metres (79 ft)||ViktoriaparkGermany|
|Lotte Music Fountain||18.2 metres (60 ft)||Aqua Mall, Lotte Department Store (Busan)South Korea|