Geography ยท General Awareness

Indian Rivers and Waterways

2,831 Questions

This topic covers major Indian rivers, their basins, hydroelectric projects, and historical water management systems. Questions on river geography are essential for SSC, banking, railways, UPSC, and state exams. Solving these questions builds mapping and factual accuracy for test takers.

River hydroelectric projectsMajor river basinsAncient water managementInterlinking of riversMythological Indian rivers

Indian Rivers and Waterways Questions

Multiple choice

The area between rivers Beas and Satluj is known as

  1. Malwa

  2. Doaba

  3. Majha

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The region lying between the Beas and Satluj rivers in Punjab is called the Doaba region. The word 'Doaba' is derived from Persian, where 'Do' means two and 'Ab' means water or river, signifying the land between two rivers.

Multiple choice

The Amarkantak hill is the source of two rivers flowing in two different directions (west and east). They are

  1. Narmada and Tapi

  2. Narmada and Mahanadi

  3. Tapi and Betwa

  4. Tapi and Son
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The Amarkantak plateau is a significant drainage divide. The Narmada river originates here and flows west toward the Arabian Sea, while the Son river (a tributary of the Ganga) flows north/east. Although the Mahanadi originates nearby in the Sihawa hills, it is often grouped with this region in general geography contexts.

Multiple choice

Ganga is navigable between

  1. Haridwar and Kanpur

  2. Allahabad and Varanasi

  3. Patna and Calcutta

  4. Allahabad and Haldia
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The National Waterway 1 (NW-1) is the longest navigable stretch of the Ganga river system, running from Allahabad (Prayagraj) in Uttar Pradesh to Haldia in West Bengal.

Multiple choice

Which one of the following characteristic is NOT relevant to Ganga river?

  1. It is a braided river with numerous channels

  2. It has multiple inter-twined sand-bars

  3. It has extensive gully erosion

  4. It deposits enormous sediment annually into the Bay of Bengal
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Extensive gully erosion is the defining characteristic of the Chambal River basin, which creates 'badlands'. The Ganga is characterized by its braided nature, sandbars, and massive sediment load, but not by extensive gully erosion.

Multiple choice

Which one of the following pairs of rivers has caused maximum flood havoc in China 1998?

  1. Yangtze Kiang and Peh Kiang

  2. Hwang Ho and Si Kiang

  3. Si Kiang and Yangtze Kiang

  4. Yangtze Kiang and Hwang Ho
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The 1998 floods in China were among the most devastating in modern history, primarily affecting the Yangtze River basin. While the Hwang Ho (Yellow River) is historically known as 'China's Sorrow' due to flooding, the 1998 event was centered on the Yangtze and its tributaries.

Multiple choice

Which one of the following dams is not meant for irrigation?

  1. Bhavanisagar

  2. Sivasamudram

  3. Krishna Raja Sagar

  4. Bhakra-Nangal
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Sivasamudram is primarily known for its hydroelectric power project, which was one of the first in Asia. Unlike the other dams listed, its main purpose is power generation rather than large-scale irrigation.

Multiple choice

Which one of the following barrages supplier water to the Indira Gandhi Canal?

  1. Bhakra

  2. Harika

  3. Narora

  4. Pandoh
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The Indira Gandhi Canal, one of the largest irrigation projects in India, receives its water from the Harike Barrage. This barrage is located at the confluence of the Sutlej and Beas rivers in the state of Punjab. The canal provides essential water for irrigation and drinking to the arid regions of Rajasthan.

Multiple choice

Which river is also known as 'Sorrow of China/Yellow river'?

  1. Yangtze

  2. Songhua

  3. Hwang Ho

  4. Tsang Po

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The Hwang Ho (Yellow River) is known as the 'Sorrow of China' due to its history of devastating floods that have caused immense loss of life and property. It is also called the Yellow River because of the yellow silt it carries.

Multiple choice

Which of the following dams is not on Narmada River?

  1. Indira-Sagar Project

  2. Maheshwar Hydel Power Project

  3. Koyan Power Project

  4. Jobat Project

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The Koyna Dam is constructed on the Koyna River in Maharashtra, which is a tributary of the Krishna River. The other projects mentioned are either directly on the Narmada River or on its immediate tributaries like the Hathni River.