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India Cluster1,021 Verified Questions
Rivers of India GK Questions & Answers
The drainage system of India is classified into two macro groups based on physiographic origin: the perennial Himalayan river systems (Ganga, Indus, Brahmaputra) and the peninsular river systems (Godavari, Krishna, Mahanadi, Cauvery, Narmada, Tapi). Himalayan rivers are snow-fed and perennial, cutting deep antecedent gorges, while peninsular rivers are rain-fed, flow through graded mature valleys, and exhibit seasonal discharge fluctuations linked to the southwest monsoon.
High-yield conceptual summaries for competitive exams and rapid revision.
The Ganga is the longest river in India (2,525 km), originating as Bhagirathi from the Gangotri Glacier at Gaumukh.
The Godavari (1,465 km) is the longest peninsular river and is known as Dakshin Ganga or Vridha Ganga.
Narmada and Tapi are the principal west-flowing peninsular rivers that flow through tectonic rift valleys into the Arabian Sea.
The Brahmaputra originates as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet and forms the world’s largest river island, Majuli, in Assam.
Showing 25 Curated Questions1,021 Total in Bank
1ID: GK-WATR-00164
hardWorld Major Rivers, Waterfalls & Maritime Canals
Under the Indus Waters Treaty signed in Karachi on 19 September 1960, which three 'Eastern Rivers' were allocated to India for unrestricted water use?
Verified Explanation
Under Article II of the Indus Waters Treaty 1960, all waters of the Eastern Rivers (Ravi, Beas, and Satluj) were allocated to India for unrestricted use.
2ID: GK-WATR-00165
hardWorld Major Rivers, Waterfalls & Maritime Canals
Under the Indus Waters Treaty (1960), which three 'Western Rivers' were allocated to Pakistan, subject to specified non-consumptive and run-of-the-river uses by India?
Verified Explanation
Under Article III of the Treaty, Pakistan receives unrestricted use of all waters of the Western Rivers (Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab), while India may generate run-of-the-river hydropower and consume water for specified domestic/agricultural uses.
3ID: GK-WATR-00225
hardWorld Major Rivers, Waterfalls & Maritime Canals
Under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 signed between India and Pakistan, which three 'Eastern Rivers' were allocated for unrestricted use to India?
Verified Explanation
The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty granted India exclusive rights over the waters of the Eastern Rivers (Ravi, Beas, Satluj), while the Western Rivers were allocated to Pakistan.
4ID: GK-WATR-00378
hardWorld Major Rivers, Waterfalls & Maritime Canals
Under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, which three 'Eastern Rivers' were allocated exclusively to India for unrestricted water use?
Verified Explanation
Under the Indus Waters Treaty signed in Karachi on 19 September 1960, the waters of the three Eastern Rivers (Satluj, Beas, and Ravi) were allocated to India for unrestricted use.
5ID: GK-WATR-00597
hardWorld Major Rivers, Waterfalls & Maritime Canals
Under the Indus Waters Treaty signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan, which three "Eastern Rivers" were allocated exclusively to India for unrestricted water use?
Verified Explanation
Under Article II of the Indus Waters Treaty (1960), all the waters of the Eastern Rivers (Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi) were allocated to India for unrestricted use.
6ID: GK-WATR-00109
hardWorld Major Rivers, Waterfalls & Maritime Canals
The Barak River, which rises from Mount Japvo in the Naga Hills, bifurcates into which two major rivers upon entering Bangladesh's Sylhet district?
Verified Explanation
At the India-Bangladesh border in Karimganj/Sylhet, the Barak River splits into two distributaries: the Surma River to the north and the Kushiyara River to the south.
7ID: GK-WATR-00475
mediumWorld Major Rivers, Waterfalls & Maritime Canals
The Barak River, which forms the headstream of the Surma and Kushiyara rivers in Bangladesh, originates in the hill country of which Indian state?
Verified Explanation
The Barak River originates near Liyai village in the Senapati/Pfutsero hills of Manipur, flowing through Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Assam before entering Bangladesh as the Surma and Kushiyara.
8ID: GK-WATR-00323
hardWorld Major Rivers, Waterfalls & Maritime Canals
The Ujh Multipurpose Project, planned to utilize India's unharnessed share of Eastern Rivers under the Indus Waters Treaty, is planned in Kathua district on a major tributary of which river?
Verified Explanation
The Ujh Project is planned across the Ujh River, a main tributary of the Ravi River, in Kathua district of J&K, to irrigate 31,380 hectares and produce 186 MW of power.
9ID: GK-WATR-00586
easyWorld Major Rivers, Waterfalls & Maritime Canals
The Yarlung Tsangpo enters India at the Gelling village in Arunachal Pradesh, where it is known by which local name before meeting the Dibang and Lohit rivers?
Verified Explanation
The Brahmaputra is known as the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet; upon carving a deep gorge around Mount Namcha Barwa and entering Arunachal Pradesh, it is called the Siang or Dihang River.
10ID: GK-WATR-00587
easyHimalayan & Peninsular River Systems
Which two major Indian peninsular rivers flow westward through rift valleys between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges and empty into the Arabian Sea?
Verified Explanation
Narmada (flowing between Vindhya and Satpura) and Tapi (flowing south of Satpura) are the two major peninsular rivers that flow west into the Gulf of Khambhat (Arabian Sea) without forming deltas.
11ID: GK-WATR-00102
mediumWorld Major Rivers, Waterfalls & Maritime Canals
The Kosi River is an antecedent river formed in the high Himalayas by the confluence of seven mountain streams, and is therefore traditionally known as what?
Verified Explanation
The Kosi River is known as Saptakoshi in Nepal because it is formed by seven streams: Sun Koshi, Tama Koshi, Dudh Koshi, Indravati, Likhu, Arun, and Tamur.
12ID: GK-WATR-00123
hardWorld Major Rivers, Waterfalls & Maritime Canals
The Gandak River, which originates near the Tibet-Nepal border and cuts through the Dhaulagiri and Annapurna massifs, enters the North Bihar plains through which famous gorge?
Verified Explanation
The Gandak River (known as Narayani or Saptagandaki in Nepal) debouches into the plains of Bihar at Triveni near Valmikinagar in West Champaran district.
13ID: GK-WATR-00134
easyWorld Major Rivers, Waterfalls & Maritime Canals
The Brahmaputra River flows through southern Tibet under what Tibetan name before turning into India at Namcha Barwa?
Verified Explanation
The Brahmaputra originates in Tibet where it is called the Yarlung Tsangpo, flowing eastward for ~1,700 km before entering Arunachal Pradesh.
14ID: GK-WATR-00150
mediumWorld Major Rivers, Waterfalls & Maritime Canals
The Chemayungdung Glacier near Lake Manasarovar in Tibet is the glacial source of which trans-Himalayan river system?
Verified Explanation
The Brahmaputra originates in the Chemayungdung glacier of the Kailash range near Kubi Kangri, east of Lake Manasarovar in Tibet.
15ID: GK-WATR-00280
mediumWorld Major Rivers, Waterfalls & Maritime Canals
Barak River, which originates in the Manipur Hills, flows through southern Assam and enters Bangladesh where it bifurcates into the Kushiyara and which other river?
Verified Explanation
At the border of India and Bangladesh near Bhanga in Karimganj district, the Barak River branches into two distributaries: the Surma River and the Kushiyara River.
16ID: GK-WATR-00345
easyWorld Major Rivers, Waterfalls & Maritime Canals
The Brahmaputra River originates in the Chemayungdung Glacier near Mount Kailash in Tibet, where it flows eastward under which name before entering India?
Verified Explanation
In Tibet, the Brahmaputra flows eastward for nearly 1,700 km as the 'Yarlung Tsangpo' before making a sharp U-turn (the Great Bend) around Namcha Barwa to enter Arunachal Pradesh as the Siang/Dihang.
17ID: GK-WATR-00480
hardWorld Major Rivers, Waterfalls & Maritime Canals
Which transboundary river originates from the Pahunri Glacier / Tso Lhamo lake in Sikkim, carves deep gorges through Darjeeling, and joins the Jamuna (Brahmaputra) in Bangladesh?
Verified Explanation
The Teesta River originates in North Sikkim at 5,280 m, flows through Sikkim and Kalimpong/Darjeeling, enters West Bengal plains, and empties into the Jamuna in Rangpur, Bangladesh.
18ID: GK-WATR-00145
mediumWorld Major Rivers, Waterfalls & Maritime Canals
The Indira Gandhi Canal (formerly Rajasthan Canal), one of the longest canal systems in India (~650 km), originates from which barrage in Punjab?
Verified Explanation
The Indira Gandhi Canal originates from the Harike Barrage, constructed just below the confluence of the Satluj and Beas rivers in Punjab.
19ID: GK-WATR-00357
hardWorld Major Rivers, Waterfalls & Maritime Canals
The Lohit River, over which the 9.15 km Bhupen Hazarika Setu (Dhola-Sadiya Bridge) is constructed, is a major left-bank tributary of which great river?
Verified Explanation
The Lohit River originates in the Zayu region of eastern Tibet and flows through Arunachal Pradesh to join the Dihang (Siang) and Dibang rivers to form the Brahmaputra at Kobo.
20ID: GK-GEOG-00147
hardRivers Drainage
The "Chinnar" and "Pambar" rivers in Kerala are unusual among Western Ghats rivers because they exhibit which drainage direction?
Verified Explanation
Pambar, Chinnar, and Bhavani are among the few east-flowing rivers originating in Kerala that drain into the Kaveri river basin.
21ID: GK-WGEOG-00221
mediumRivers Lakes Falls
Which terminal endorheic lake, bordered by Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, shrank catastrophically after Soviet rivers were diverted for cotton irrigation?
Verified Explanation
The Aral Sea lost over 90% of its volume after the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers were diverted for agricultural schemes starting in the 1960s.
22ID: GK-WATR-00141
easyHimalayan & Peninsular River Systems
Which of the following major Indian rivers drains into the Arabian Sea rather than the Bay of Bengal?
Verified Explanation
The Narmada River (along with Tapi, Mahi, and Sabarmati) flows westward through a tectonic rift valley into the Arabian Sea (Gulf of Khambhat).
23ID: GK-WATR-00264
mediumHimalayan & Peninsular River Systems
The Tungabhadra River, a major tributary of the Krishna River, is formed by the union of which two rivers in Karnataka?
Verified Explanation
The Tungabhadra River is formed by the confluence of the Tunga River and the Bhadra River at Koodli in the Shimoga (Shivamogga) district of Karnataka.
24ID: GK-WATR-00479
hardHimalayan & Peninsular River Systems
The Brahmani River in Odisha is formed near Rourkela (at Vedvyas) by the confluence of which two peninsular rivers?
Verified Explanation
The Brahmani River is formed at Vedvyas near Rourkela in Sundergarh district, Odisha, by the confluence of the Sankh River (originating in Jharkhand) and the South Koel River.
25ID: GK-WATR-00044
easyHimalayan & Peninsular River Systems
At which sacred confluence (Prayag) in Uttarakhand do the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers meet to officially form the Ganga?
Verified Explanation
Devprayag is the holy confluence in Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand where the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers merge; downstream from this point, the river is known as the Ganga.