By romanticisng I mean the level of attachment people show towards these rivers. Sindhu and Ganga have been common names in respective regions.
You are right that hot climate regions appreciate water and water reservoirs more than other regions. This is apparent from myths about HakRa in Cholistan, but Danube (which flow across Europe) is also mentioned extensively in the folklore of the region (especially gypsy folklore). Probably, rivers also denotes journey in gypsy culture.