Why are deltas fewer and estuaries relatively more common on the Western Coastal Plain?

Correct answer: Many western rivers are short with steep slopes and get less chance to deposit sediment

Direct answer: Option A is correct. A delta forms when a river slows near its mouth and deposits much sediment. The Western Coastal Plain is narrow, and many west-flowing rivers are short, swift, and descend steeply from the Western Ghats. Their water reaches the Arabian Sea quickly, so there is less time and space for a large sediment fan to build. Estuaries are therefore relatively common; an estuary is a widened tidal river mouth where fresh water mixes with seawater. Option A gives the complete physical reason. Option B is wrong because the Arabian Sea lies along the western coast. Option C is wrong because most western rivers are Peninsular rivers, not Himalayan rivers. Option D is wrong because the western coastal plain is narrower, not much wider, than the eastern plain. Memory cue: western coast—short, swift rivers and estuaries; eastern coast—larger deltas.