Static Quiz 23 September 2023 (Geography)

Solution: B
Justification:
Statement 3: Mahanadi is major river in East Central India. It drains an area of around 141,600 square kilometres and has total course of 858 kilometres. It flows through Chhattisgarh and Odisha. It originates from highlands of Chhattisgarh through collection of array of streams and reaches Bay of Bengal. It left bank tributaries are Shivnath, Mand, Ib, Hasdeo and right bank are Ong, parry river, Jonk, Telen.
Statement 1: The longest river in India is the Ganga followed by Godavari (1465 km). Brahmaputra, called Tsang-po in Tibet, though having a total length of 2900 km, flows only for 916 km in India. Statement 2: Since mid-80s, both states are in dispute. Odisha has claimed that Chhattisgarh government has been constructing dams in upper reaches of Mahanadi, depriving its farmers who are heavily dependent on river water. Chhattisgarh has been against the setting up of a tribunal, and argued that water sharing agreement was with erstwhile Madhya Pradesh government, before state bifurcated in 2000.

Solution: C
Justification: It flows eastwards parallel to the Himalayas. On reaching the Namcha Barwa (7757 m), it takes a ‘U’ turn and enters India in Arunachal Pradesh through a gorge. Here, it is called the Dihang and it is joined by the Dibang, the Lohit, the Kenula and many other tributaries to form the Brahmaputra in Assam. In Tibet the river carries a smaller volume of water and less silt as it is a cold and a dry area. In India it passes through a region of high rainfall. Here the river carries a large volume of water and considerable amount of silt. The Brahmaputra has a braided channel in its entire length in Assam and forms many riverine islands.

Solution: A
Justification: The Kaveri rises in the Brahmagiri range of the Western Ghats and it reaches the Bay of Bengal in south of Cuddalore, in Tamil Nadu. Total length of the river is about 760 km. Its main tributaries are Amravati, Bhavani, Hemavati and Kabini. Its basin drains parts of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The river Kaveri makes the second biggest waterfall in India. It is known as Sivasamudram. The Damoder, the Brahmani, the Baitarni and the Subarn rekha are major rivers flowing towards east, not tributaries.

Solution: D
Justification:
Statement 1 and 2: All rivers contain sediments. When a river is stilled behind a dam, the sediments it contains sink to the bottom of the reservoir. As the sediments accumulate in the reservoir, so the dam gradually loses its ability to store water for the purposes for which it was built. If sedimentation continues, it increases water level and can even cause floods.

Solution: D
Justification: Many peninsular rivers flow over hard rocky surfaces, where bed or lateral erosion is not significant, leading to lower sediment load. On the other hand, in Himalayan Rivers, course is deeper, gradient higher and course longer, which results in greater sediment load. Himalayan Rivers have many other depositional features in their floodplains. They also have well- developed Deltas. Most of the rivers of peninsular India originate in the Western Ghats and flow towards the Bay of Bengal. Thus, a large number of the Peninsular Rivers are seasonal, as their flow is dependent on rainfall. During the dry season, even the large rivers have reduced flow of water in their channels.