MCQs on Rivers and Drainage systems for UPSC and state PSC exams

Himalayan rivers are perennial, antecedent, youthful; Peninsular rivers are seasonal, older, graded, forming broad valleys.

Originate from glaciers, flow year-round, have large basins, form deep gorges and meanders in plains.

Depend on monsoon rainfall, have smaller basins, flow through hard rock, form waterfalls and estuaries.

At 4,164 m in Kailash Range, flows northwest through Ladakh, enters Pakistan, total length 3,180 km.

Enters at Demchok, flows 1,114 km in India, major tributaries in Ladakh: Shyok, Zaskar, Nubra.

Five rivers join in Pakistan, form Panjnad, join Indus at Mithankot.

Flows through Wular Lake, forms deep gorge, joins Chenab in Pakistan.

Largest tributary of Indus, called Chandrabhaga, flows through J&K.

Flows along India-Pakistan border, joins Chenab.

Flows through Kullu Valley, joins Sutlej at Harike, entirely in India.

Antecedent river, cuts through Himalayas at Shipki La, joins Beas, longest tributary of Indus.

Brokered by World Bank, India can use western rivers for non-consumptive purposes.

At Gaumukh 3,892 m Uttarakhand, joins Alaknanda at Devprayag to form Ganga.

Meets Bhagirathi at Devprayag, considered main stream hydrologically.

Where Alaknanda meets tributaries, sacred sites.

Longest tributary of Ganga (1,376 km), joins at Prayagraj.

Right bank tributaries from Central Highlands, left bank from Himalayas: Hindon.

Largest tributary by volume, joins Ganga at Chhapra, causes floods.

Flows through Nepal, joins Ganga at Hajipur, forms border.

Notorious for shifting course and floods, originates from Tibet-Nepal, joins Ganga at Kursela.

Largest south bank tributary of Ganga, joins near Patna, from Peninsular plateau.

Flows through Chota Nagpur plateau, joins Hooghly, now controlled by DVC dams.

Flows east 1,100 km in Tibet, takes U-turn at Namcha Barwa, enters Arunachal as Dihang.

Joins Dibang and Lohit in Assam to form Brahmaputra.

Joins Padma (Ganga), then Meghna, flows to Bay of Bengal.

North bank from Himalayas, south bank from Meghalaya plateau: Kopili, Dhansiri.

In Assam, 880 sq km, cultural hub, shrinking due to erosion.

East-flowing into Bay of Bengal form deltas; west-flowing into Arabian Sea form estuaries.

Flow through gentle slope, carry more sediment, form fertile deltas.

Flow through rift valleys, swift, form estuaries not deltas.

Largest peninsular river (1,465 km), originates at Trimbakeshwar, Maharashtra, drains 10% of India.

Flows east across Deccan, joins Bay at Rajahmundry forming delta.

1,400 km, flows through Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra, forms delta.

800 km, sacred river, forms delta in Tamil Nadu, supports irrigation.

858 km, flows through Odisha, forms delta at Cuttack, Hirakud Dam built on it.

1,312 km, flows west through rift valley between Vindhya and Satpura, forms estuary in Gujarat.

Flows through marble rocks at Bhedaghat, no delta due to hard rock and swift flow.

724 km, flows west parallel to Narmada, forms estuary at Surat.

Flows through MP, Rajasthan, Gujarat, crosses Tropic of Cancer twice, forms estuary.

371 km, flows through Gujarat, Ahmedabad on banks, forms estuary.

Originates in Aravallis near Ajmer, 495 km, saline water downstream, inland drainage.

Older than Himalayas, flow through hard rock, form rapids and falls like Jog, Shivanasamudra.

253 m, second highest plunge fall in India, on Western Ghats escarpment.

In Karnataka, 98 m, first hydroelectric plant in Asia 1902.

Develops on homogeneous rock, e.g., Ganga plain tributaries.

e.g., Himalayan foothills, Appalachian region.

e.g., Amarkantak plateau, rivers radiate in all directions.

e.g., Loktak Lake Manipur, Sambhar Lake Rajasthan.

Rivers do not reach sea, end in lakes or desert.

Flows in Haryana-Rajasthan, disappears in Thar, inland drainage.

High flow May-June (snowmelt) and July-Sept (monsoon).

Flow only during monsoon, dry in summer.

Central Highlands form main water divide.

Covers 26% of India, supports 40% population.

Largest peninsular basin.

East coast ideal, west coast steep prevents deltas.

World’s largest delta, 1,00000 sq km, mangrove forest, UNESCO site.

Narmada, Tapi form estuaries due to rift valley and swift flow.

Ganga, Yamuna highly polluted, Namami Gange programme for rejuvenation.

Proposed 30 links, Ken-Betwa first, aims to reduce droughts and floods.

Inter-state river water disputes tribunals under Inter-State River Water Disputes Act 1956.

Multipurpose for irrigation, power, flood control.

Longest earthen dam in world, controls floods.

Highest dam in India 260.5 m, hydroelectric.

Multipurpose, provides water to drought-prone areas.

Integrated conservation mission for Ganga, budget Rs 20,000 crore.

Forms numerous islands and channels in Assam plains.

Maintained course while mountains rose, forming deep gorges.

Mature rivers with broad valleys, meanders.

Yamuna is believed to have captured waters of ancient Saraswati tributaries, shifting eastward due to tectonic uplift, explaining dry Ghaggar-Hakra bed.