Consider the following statements : 1. Jhelum River passes through Wular Lake. 2. Krishna River directly feeds Kolleru Lake. 3. Meandering of Gandak River formed Kanwar Lake. How many of the statements given above are correct?
- (a) Only one ✓ UPSC's answer
- (b) Only two
- (c) All three
- (d) None
Why the answer is (a)
• Statement 1 is correct: the Jhelum flows into and out of Wular Lake in the Kashmir valley, India's largest freshwater lake, which acts as a natural flood-absorption basin.
• Statement 2 is wrong: Kolleru Lake in Andhra Pradesh lies between the Krishna and Godavari deltas and is fed by the Budameru and Tammileru streams and drainage channels, not directly by the Krishna.
• Statement 3 is wrong: Kanwar (Kabartal) Lake in Begusarai, Bihar, is an oxbow lake formed by the meandering of the Burhi Gandak, a different river from the Gandak; it became a Ramsar site in 2020.
• Hence only one statement is correct, option (a).
Why the other options are wrong
- (b) Only two
- Statements 2 and 3 are both wrong, leaving only one correct statement.
- (c) All three
- Kolleru is not fed directly by the Krishna, and Kanwar was formed by the Burhi Gandak.
- (d) None
- Statement 1 on the Jhelum and Wular is correct.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2023, held on 28 May 2023. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.