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English · हिन्दी · తెలుగు · தமிழ் · മലയാളം · मराठी · ಕನ್ನಡ

Lakes and river-water management

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿವರಣೆ

Drainage of India · Part 4 / 4 · Fact-checked on · how we check

Written with AI from the sources listed at the bottom of this page, then fact-checked by a separate AI.

How lakes form and the lakes the exam asks about; river interlinking and the Ken-Betwa link; Article 262, the 1956 Act and the water tribunals; India's river treaties with its neighbours; and the uses and care of rivers.

Each idea is explained first in Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ), ending with the English and Hindi exam terms, followed by the same point in exam English. UPSC Prelims is in English or Hindi, so understand it in Kannada and revise it in English.

ಇದು ನದಿಗಳ ಅಧ್ಯಾಯದ ಕೊನೆಯ ಭಾಗ. ಎರಡು ವಿಷಯಗಳು: ಸರೋವರಗಳು ಹೇಗೆ ಉಂಟಾಗುತ್ತವೆ, ಮುಖ್ಯ ಸರೋವರಗಳು ಯಾವುವು; ನದಿ ನೀರನ್ನು ರಾಜ್ಯಗಳು, ದೇಶಗಳು ಹೇಗೆ ಹಂಚಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತವೆ. ಒಂದು ಬಾವಿಯ ನೀರನ್ನು ನಾಲ್ಕು ಮನೆಯವರು ಬಳಸಿದರೆ ನಿಯಮ ಬೇಕಲ್ಲವೇ, ಹಾಗೆಯೇ. ಎಲ್ಲದರ ಹಿಂದೆ ಮಾನ್ಸೂನ್ ಇದೆ: ಮಳೆ ಕೆಲವೇ ತಿಂಗಳು, ಅದೂ ಅಸಮವಾಗಿ ಬೀಳುತ್ತದೆ; ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಸಂಗ್ರಹ, ಸಾಗಣೆ, ನ್ಯಾಯಯುತ ಹಂಚಿಕೆ ಮುಖ್ಯ. (→ English: monsoon · हिन्दी: मानसून)

In exam EnglishThe first three parts followed India's rivers from source to sea. This last part turns to two things that sit beside them. The first is lakes: how still bodies of water form, and which Indian lakes the exam keeps returning to. The second is how India manages river water, because a river that crosses state or national borders is shared, and sharing needs rules. The thread running through all of it is the monsoon: rain arrives in a few months and falls unevenly across the country, so storing water, moving it and dividing it fairly are central problems of Indian geography.

ಸರೋವರ ಎಂದರೆ ನೆಲದ ತಗ್ಗಿನಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಂತ ನೀರು; ತಗ್ಗು ಹೇಗೆ ಉಂಟಾಯಿತು ಎಂಬುದರ ಮೇಲೆ ವಿಧಗಳು. ಭೂಚಲನೆಯಿಂದಾದ ತಗ್ಗು (ವುಲರ್), ಹಿಮ ಕೊರೆದ ತಗ್ಗು (ಹಿಮಾಲಯದ ಸರೋವರಗಳು), ಉಲ್ಕೆ ಬಿದ್ದ ತಗ್ಗು (ಲೋಣಾರ್). ನದಿ ತನ್ನ ತಿರುವನ್ನು ಕತ್ತರಿಸಿ ನೇರ ಹರಿದರೆ ಬಿಟ್ಟ ತಿರುವು ಕುದುರೆಲಾಳ ಸರೋವರ — ಹಳೆಯ ಸುತ್ತುದಾರಿ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಅಡ್ಡದಾರಿ ಹಿಡಿದಂತೆ. ಕರಾವಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮರಳದಿಣ್ಣೆ ಸಮುದ್ರದ ನೀರನ್ನು ಬೇರ್ಪಡಿಸಿದರೆ ಲಗೂನ್. ಮರುಭೂಮಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನೀರು ಆವಿಯಾಗಿ ಉಪ್ಪು ಉಳಿಯುತ್ತದೆ. ಅಣೆಕಟ್ಟುಗಳ ಹಿಂದಿನ ಜಲಾಶಯಗಳು ಮಾನವ ನಿರ್ಮಿತ. (→ English: oxbow lake; lagoon · हिन्दी: गोखुर झील; लैगून)

In exam EnglishA lake is a body of standing water filling a hollow in the land, and the way that hollow was made gives the usual classification. Tectonic lakes fill basins created by movements of the crust; Wular in Kashmir is generally described as one. Glacial lakes fill hollows scooped out or dammed by ice. Lonar in Maharashtra fills a crater made when a meteorite struck the Deccan basalt. Rivers make lakes too: when a meandering river cuts across the narrow neck of a loop, the abandoned loop becomes an oxbow lake, a common sight on the Ganga plain. Along the coast, a sand bar can wall off shallow sea water to form a lagoon. In deserts, rainwater gathers in basins with no outlet and evaporates, leaving salt behind. Finally, dams create artificial lakes, or reservoirs, such as Gobind Sagar behind the Bhakra dam.

ಹಿಮಾಲಯದ ಮುಖ್ಯ ಸರೋವರಗಳು ಜಮ್ಮು ಕಾಶ್ಮೀರ ಮತ್ತು ಲಡಾಖ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿವೆ. ವುಲರ್ — ಭಾರತದ ಅತಿದೊಡ್ಡ ಸಿಹಿನೀರಿನ ಸರೋವರ; ಝೀಲಂ ಅದರ ಮೂಲಕ ಹರಿಯುತ್ತದೆ, ಪ್ರವಾಹವನ್ನು ಸ್ಪಂಜಿನಂತೆ ಹೀರುತ್ತದೆ. ಶ್ರೀನಗರದಲ್ಲಿ ದಾಲ್ — ದೋಣಿಮನೆಗಳು, ತೇಲುವ ತೋಟಗಳು. ಲಡಾಖ್‌ನ ಎತ್ತರದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ಯಾಂಗಾಂಗ್ ತ್ಸೋ — ಹೊರಹರಿವು ಇಲ್ಲ, ಹಾಗಾಗಿ ಉಪ್ಪುನೀರು; ಟಿಬೆಟ್‌ವರೆಗೆ ಚಾಚಿದೆ. ಕುಮಾವೂನ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ನೈನಿತಾಲ್, ಭೀಮ್‌ತಾಲ್. ಮೊರೇನ್ ಗೋಡೆ ಒಡೆದರೆ ಅಪಾಯ: 2023ರ ಅಕ್ಟೋಬರ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿಂನ ದಕ್ಷಿಣ ಲ್ಹೋನಕ್ ಸರೋವರ ಒಡೆದು ತೀಸ್ತಾ ಪ್ರವಾಹ ಚುಂಗ್‌ಥಾಂಗ್ ಅಣೆಕಟ್ಟನ್ನು ನಾಶಮಾಡಿತು. (→ English: moraine · हिन्दी: हिमोढ़)

In exam EnglishMost of the Himalayan lakes the exam asks about lie in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Wular, through which the Jhelum flows, is the largest freshwater lake in India; its area swells and shrinks with the seasons, and it helps absorb the river's floods. Dal, in Srinagar, is known for its houseboats and floating gardens. Much higher, in the cold desert of Ladakh, lies Pangong Tso, a long, narrow lake that stretches across the Line of Actual Control into Tibet; it has no outlet, which is why its water is brackish. Tso Moriri, also in Ladakh, is another high-altitude lake. In Uttarakhand, the Kumaon hills hold a cluster of freshwater lakes, among them Nainital and Bhimtal. Glacial lakes can also be dangerous: in October 2023 the South Lhonak lake in Sikkim broke through its moraine wall, and the flood that rushed down the Tista destroyed the dam at Chungthang.

ಹಿಮಾಲಯದಿಂದ ದೂರ ಮೂರು ವಿಶೇಷ ಸರೋವರಗಳು. ಮಣಿಪುರದ ಲೋಕ್‌ಟಾಕ್ — ಈಶಾನ್ಯದ ಅತಿದೊಡ್ಡ ಸಿಹಿನೀರಿನ ಸರೋವರ; ಅದರ ಮೇಲೆ 'ಫುಮ್ಡಿ' ಎಂಬ ಮಣ್ಣು, ಬೇರು, ಸಸ್ಯಗಳ ತೇಲುವ ಹಾಸುಗಳು — ನೀರಿನ ಮೇಲೆ ತೇಲುವ ಚಾಪೆಗಳಂತೆ. ಅತಿದೊಡ್ಡ ಹಾಸಿನ ಮೇಲೆ ಕೇಬುಲ್ ಲಾಮ್‌ಜಾವೋ, ಜಗತ್ತಿನ ಏಕೈಕ ತೇಲುವ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಉದ್ಯಾನ, ಸಂಗಾಯ್ ಜಿಂಕೆಯ ಮನೆ. ರಾಜಸ್ಥಾನದ ಸಾಂಭರ್ — ಒಳನಾಡಿನ ಉಪ್ಪು ಸರೋವರ, ಬೇಸಿಗೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ನೀರು ಆವಿಯಾಗಿ ಉಪ್ಪು. ಮಹಾರಾಷ್ಟ್ರದ ಲೋಣಾರ್ — ಉಲ್ಕೆ ಬಿದ್ದ ತಗ್ಗಿನಲ್ಲಿ, ಉಪ್ಪು ಮತ್ತು ಕ್ಷಾರೀಯ ನೀರು. ಮೂರೂ ರಾಮ್‌ಸರ್ ತಾಣಗಳು. (→ English: Loktak, Sambhar, Lonar · हिन्दी: लोकटक, सांभर, लोणार)

In exam EnglishThree lakes away from the Himalaya are exam favourites because each is unusual. Loktak in Manipur is the largest freshwater lake in north-east India, and much of its surface is covered with phumdis, floating mats of soil, roots and vegetation. The largest of these mats forms Keibul Lamjao, the only floating national park in the world and the only natural home of the sangai, Manipur's brow-antlered deer. Sambhar in Rajasthan is India's largest inland salt lake: the seasonal streams that feed it end there, and its water evaporates in the dry months. Lonar, in Buldhana district of Maharashtra, is a nearly circular lake in a crater formed by a meteorite impact in basalt rock, and its water is both saline and alkaline. All three are Ramsar sites, wetlands recognised as being of international importance.

ಕರಾವಳಿಯ ಸರೋವರಗಳು ಹೆಚ್ಚಾಗಿ ಲಗೂನ್‌ಗಳು — ಮರಳದಿಣ್ಣೆಯ ಹಿಂದೆ ಸಮುದ್ರದ ನೀರು ಮತ್ತು ಸಿಹಿನೀರು ಬೆರೆತವು. ಒಡಿಶಾದ ಚಿಲ್ಕಾ — ದೇಶದ ಅತಿದೊಡ್ಡ ಉಪ್ಪುನೀರಿನ ಲಗೂನ್; ಇರಾವದಿ ಡಾಲ್ಫಿನ್‌ಗಳು, ವಲಸೆ ಹಕ್ಕಿಗಳು; 1981ರಲ್ಲಿ ಕೇವಲಾದೇವ್ ಜೊತೆ ಮೊದಲ ರಾಮ್‌ಸರ್ ತಾಣ. ಪುಲಿಕಾಟ್ — ಆಂಧ್ರ-ತಮಿಳುನಾಡು ಗಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಎರಡನೇ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಲಗೂನ್, ನಡುವೆ ಶ್ರೀಹರಿಕೋಟಾ. ಕೊಲ್ಲೇರು ಮಾತ್ರ ಸಿಹಿನೀರಿನ ಸರೋವರ. ಕೇರಳದ ಹಿನ್ನೀರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ವೆಂಬನಾಡ್, ಅಷ್ಟಮುಡಿ. (→ English: lagoon · हिन्दी: लैगून)

In exam EnglishIndia's coastal lakes are mostly lagoons. Chilika, on the Odisha coast, is the largest brackish-water lagoon in India; it is famous for its Irrawaddy dolphins and the migratory birds that winter there, and in 1981 it became one of India's first two Ramsar sites, together with Keoladeo in Rajasthan. Pulicat, on the Andhra Pradesh–Tamil Nadu border, is the second largest lagoon, with Sriharikota island lying between it and the sea. Kolleru in Andhra Pradesh is different: it is a large, shallow freshwater lake lying between the Godavari and Krishna deltas and fed by streams from both. Kerala's backwaters are a chain of lagoons and channels; Vembanad among them is often called the longest lake in India, and Ashtamudi near Kollam is another well-known one.

ನದಿ ಜೋಡಣೆಯ ಹಿಂದಿನ ಆಲೋಚನೆ ಸರಳ: ಕೆಲವು ನದಿಗಳಲ್ಲಿ (ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಪುತ್ರಾ) ನೀರು ಹೆಚ್ಚು, ಪ್ರವಾಹ; ಕೆಲವುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕೊರತೆ. ಒಂದು ಮನೆಯ ತೊಟ್ಟಿ ತುಂಬಿ ಹರಿಯುವಾಗ ಪಕ್ಕದ ಮನೆಯ ಖಾಲಿ ತೊಟ್ಟಿಗೆ ಪೈಪ್ ಹಾಕಿದಂತೆ, ಹೆಚ್ಚುವರಿ ನೀರನ್ನು ಕಾಲುವೆಗಳ ಮೂಲಕ ಕೊರತೆಯ ನದಿಗೆ. 1980ರ ಆಗಸ್ಟ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ದೃಷ್ಟಿಕೋನ ಯೋಜನೆ — ಹಿಮಾಲಯ ಭಾಗ, ಪರ್ಯಾಯದ್ವೀಪ ಭಾಗ. 1982ರಲ್ಲಿ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಜಲ ಅಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆ. 30 ಜೋಡಣೆಗಳು: 14 ಹಿಮಾಲಯ, 16 ಪರ್ಯಾಯದ್ವೀಪ. ಲಾಭ: ನೀರಾವರಿ, ಕುಡಿಯುವ ನೀರು; ಟೀಕೆ: ವೆಚ್ಚ, ಸ್ಥಳಾಂತರ, ಅರಣ್ಯ ನಷ್ಟ. (→ English: interlinking of rivers · हिन्दी: नदियों को जोड़ना)

In exam Englishinterlinking of rivers starts from an imbalance: some basins, such as the Brahmaputra and parts of the Ganga, carry more water than they can use and flood often, while others in the west and south run short. The idea is to move surplus water through canals and reservoirs into basins in deficit. In August 1980 the then Ministry of Irrigation and the Central Water Commission drew up the National Perspective Plan for water resources development, which has two components: Himalayan Rivers Development and Peninsular Rivers Development. The National Water Development Agency, set up in 1982, studies the links. Thirty links have been identified, 14 in the Himalayan component and 16 in the Peninsular one. Supporters point to irrigation, drinking water and flood control; critics point to the cost, the displacement of people, the loss of forests and changes to the natural flow of rivers.

ಕೆನ್-ಬೆಟ್ವಾ — ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ದೃಷ್ಟಿಕೋನ ಯೋಜನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಿರ್ಮಾಣ ಆರಂಭವಾದ ಮೊದಲ ನದಿ ಜೋಡಣೆ. ಎರಡೂ ಯಮುನೆಯ ಬಲದಂಡೆಯ ಉಪನದಿಗಳು, ಮಧ್ಯಪ್ರದೇಶ-ಉತ್ತರಪ್ರದೇಶದ ನಡುವಿನ ಬರಪೀಡಿತ ಬುಂದೇಲ್‌ಖಂಡ್ ಮೂಲಕ ಹರಿಯುತ್ತವೆ. ಕೆನ್ ಮೇಲೆ ದೌಧನ್ ಅಣೆಕಟ್ಟು ಕಟ್ಟಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚುವರಿ ನೀರನ್ನು ಕಾಲುವೆ ಮೂಲಕ ಬೆಟ್ವಾಗೆ — ನೀರಾವರಿ, ಕುಡಿಯುವ ನೀರು, ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ವಿದ್ಯುತ್. 2021ರ ಡಿಸೆಂಬರ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ಅನುಮೋದನೆ, 2024ರ ಡಿಸೆಂಬರ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ಖಜುರಾಹೊದಲ್ಲಿ ಶಂಕುಸ್ಥಾಪನೆ. ಸಮಸ್ಯೆ: ಪನ್ನಾ ಹುಲಿ ಸಂರಕ್ಷಿತ ಪ್ರದೇಶದ ಒಂದು ಭಾಗ ಮುಳುಗುತ್ತದೆ. (→ English: Ken-Betwa link · हिन्दी: केन-बेतवा संपर्क)

In exam EnglishThe Ken-Betwa link is the first project under the National Perspective Plan to be taken up for construction. Both rivers are right-bank tributaries of the Yamuna that flow north through Bundelkhand, a drought-prone region divided between Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The plan is to build the Daudhan dam on the Ken and carry its surplus water by canal to the Betwa basin, giving irrigation and drinking water to districts in both states and generating some hydropower. The Union Cabinet approved the project in December 2021, and the Prime Minister laid its foundation stone at Khajuraho in December 2024. Its main controversy is ecological: the reservoir will submerge part of the Panna Tiger Reserve, so the plan includes steps to make up for the habitat that will be lost.

ದೊಡ್ಡ ನದಿಗಳು ಹಲವು ರಾಜ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ದಾಟಿ ಹರಿಯುತ್ತವೆ; ಯಾರಿಗೆ ಎಷ್ಟು ನೀರು ಎಂಬ ಜಗಳ. ಹೊಲಗಳ ನಡುವೆ ಒಂದೇ ಕಾಲುವೆ ಇದ್ದರೆ ರೈತರಲ್ಲಿ ಪಾಲಿನ ಜಗಳ ಬರುವಂತೆ. ಅನುಚ್ಛೇದ 262ರ ಪ್ರಕಾರ ಸಂಸತ್ತು ಕಾನೂನು ಮಾಡಿ ಇವನ್ನು ಬಗೆಹರಿಸಬಹುದು, ನ್ಯಾಯಾಲಯಗಳು ವಿಚಾರಿಸದಂತೆಯೂ ತಡೆಯಬಹುದು. ಅದರಡಿ 1956ರ ಅಂತರರಾಜ್ಯ ನದಿ ನೀರು ವಿವಾದ ಕಾಯ್ದೆ: ಮಾತುಕತೆ ವಿಫಲವಾದರೆ ಕೇಂದ್ರ ನ್ಯಾಯಮಂಡಳಿ ರಚಿಸುತ್ತದೆ, ಅದರ ತೀರ್ಪು ರಾಜ್ಯಗಳಿಗೆ ಬದ್ಧ. 2002ರ ತಿದ್ದುಪಡಿಯಿಂದ ಅದು ಸುಪ್ರೀಂ ಕೋರ್ಟ್ ಆದೇಶಕ್ಕೆ ಸಮಾನ. ನೀರು ರಾಜ್ಯ ಪಟ್ಟಿಯಲ್ಲಿ, ಆದರೆ ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಪಟ್ಟಿಯ ನಮೂದು 56ಕ್ಕೆ ಒಳಪಟ್ಟು. (→ English: Article 262; tribunal · हिन्दी: अनुच्छेद 262; अधिकरण)

In exam EnglishMost big Indian rivers cross state boundaries, so the states that share them often disagree over how much water each may take. The Constitution deals with this in Article 262, which lets Parliament make a law for settling disputes about the use, distribution or control of the waters of an inter-state river or river valley, and also lets Parliament by law bar the Supreme Court and other courts from hearing such disputes. Parliament then passed the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956. Under it, when a state complains and the Union government cannot settle the matter through negotiation, the Union sets up a tribunal, whose award binds the states. An amendment in 2002 gave a tribunal's award the same force as an order or decree of the Supreme Court. Water itself is in the State List (Entry 17), but subject to Entry 56 of the Union List, which covers the regulation and development of inter-state rivers.

ಹಲವು ನದಿಗಳಿಗೆ ನ್ಯಾಯಮಂಡಳಿಗಳು ಬಂದವು: ಕೃಷ್ಣಾ, ಗೋದಾವರಿ, ನರ್ಮದಾ (1969), ರಾವಿ-ಬಿಯಾಸ್ (1986), ಕಾವೇರಿ (1990), ಎರಡನೇ ಕೃಷ್ಣಾ (2004), ವಂಶಧಾರಾ, ಮಹದಾಯಿ (2010), ಮಹಾನದಿ (2018). ಕಾವೇರಿ ವಿವಾದ ಎಷ್ಟು ದೀರ್ಘ ಎಂಬುದಕ್ಕೆ ಉದಾಹರಣೆ — ಊರ ಪಂಚಾಯಿತಿ ತೀರ್ಪಿನ ನಂತರವೂ ಮೇಲಿನ ಕೋರ್ಟಿಗೆ ಹೋದಂತೆ: 2007ರಲ್ಲಿ ನ್ಯಾಯಮಂಡಳಿ ತೀರ್ಪು, 2018ರ ಫೆಬ್ರವರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಪ್ರೀಂ ಕೋರ್ಟ್ ಅಂತಿಮ ತೀರ್ಪು (ತಮಿಳುನಾಡಿನ ಪಾಲು ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಕಡಿಮೆ, ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ್ದು ಹೆಚ್ಚು), 2018ರಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾವೇರಿ ನೀರು ನಿರ್ವಹಣಾ ಪ್ರಾಧಿಕಾರ. (→ English: tribunal · हिन्दी: अधिकरण)

In exam EnglishTribunals have been set up for several rivers. The first three, for the Krishna, the Godavari and the Narmada, were constituted in 1969; later came tribunals for the Ravi and Beas (1986), the Kaveri (1990), a second Krishna tribunal (2004), the Vansadhara and the Mahadayi (both 2010) and the Mahanadi (2018). The Kaveri dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, with Kerala and Puducherry also sharing the river, shows how long such cases can run. The tribunal gave its final award in 2007; the states appealed, and in February 2018 the Supreme Court gave its final judgment, slightly reducing Tamil Nadu's share and raising Karnataka's. To carry out the decision, the Union government set up the Cauvery Water Management Authority in 2018. The case also shows that, although Article 262 allows courts to be kept out of the dispute itself, the Supreme Court can still hear appeals against a tribunal's award.
Inter-state river water disputes tribunals
TribunalConstitutedStates involved
Krishna (first)1969Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh
Godavari1969Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha
Narmada1969Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan
Ravi and Beas1986Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan
Kaveri1990Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry
Krishna (second)2004Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh
Vansadhara2010Odisha, Andhra Pradesh
Mahadayi2010Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra
Mahanadi2018Odisha, Chhattisgarh

ನೆರೆಯ ದೇಶಗಳೊಂದಿಗೂ ನದಿಗಳನ್ನು ಹಂಚಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತೇವೆ. ಪಾಕಿಸ್ತಾನದೊಂದಿಗೆ ಸಿಂಧೂ ನದಿ ನೀರು ಒಪ್ಪಂದ (ಮೊದಲ ಭಾಗ). ಬಾಂಗ್ಲಾದೇಶದೊಂದಿಗೆ 1996ರ ಗಂಗಾ ನೀರು ಒಪ್ಪಂದ — ಫರಕ್ಕಾದಲ್ಲಿ ಒಣ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ (ಜನವರಿ-ಮೇ) ನೀರು ಹಂಚಿಕೆ, 30 ವರ್ಷಗಳಿಗೆ. ನೇಪಾಳದೊಂದಿಗೆ 1996ರ ಮಹಾಕಾಳಿ ಒಪ್ಪಂದ, ಪಂಚೇಶ್ವರ್ ಯೋಜನೆ; ಅದಕ್ಕೂ ಮೊದಲು ಕೋಸಿ (1954), ಗಂಡಕ್ (1959). ಚೀನಾದೊಂದಿಗೆ ಹಂಚಿಕೆ ಒಪ್ಪಂದ ಇಲ್ಲ, ಪ್ರವಾಹ ಕಾಲದ ನದಿ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಮಾತ್ರ — ಮೇಲಿನ ಮಹಡಿಯವರು ತೊಟ್ಟಿಯ ನೀರಿನ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಕೊಟ್ಟಂತೆ. (→ English: Ganga Water Treaty; Mahakali Treaty · हिन्दी: गंगा जल संधि; महाकाली संधि)

In exam EnglishIndia also shares rivers with its neighbours and has water agreements with several of them. The Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan was covered in Part 1. With Bangladesh, the Ganga Water Treaty of December 1996 divides the flow of the Ganga at Farakka during the lean season, from January to May, and was signed for thirty years. With Nepal, the Mahakali Treaty of 1996 provides for the joint development of the Mahakali river, including the planned Pancheshwar project; earlier agreements of 1954 and 1959 covered the Kosi and the Gandak. China holds the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra and the Satluj, but India has no water-sharing treaty with it; memoranda of understanding have provided for China to share flood-season river data, and an Expert Level Mechanism set up in 2006 discusses trans-border rivers.

ನದಿಗಳು ಒಂದೇ ಸಮಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಹಲವು ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡುತ್ತವೆ — ಒಂದೇ ಹಸು ಹಾಲು, ಸಗಣಿ, ಉಳುಮೆ ಕೊಡುವಂತೆ. ಹಾಗಾಗಿ ಭಾಕ್ರಾ-ನಂಗಲ್, ಹಿರಾಕುಡ್, ದಾಮೋದರ್ ಕಣಿವೆ ಬಹುಉದ್ದೇಶ ಯೋಜನೆಗಳು: ನೀರಾವರಿ, ವಿದ್ಯುತ್, ಪ್ರವಾಹ ನಿಯಂತ್ರಣ, ನೀರು ಪೂರೈಕೆ. ನದಿಗಳು ಸಾರಿಗೆ ಮಾರ್ಗಗಳೂ: 2016ರ ಕಾಯ್ದೆ 111 ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಜಲಮಾರ್ಗಗಳು; ಪ್ರಯಾಗ್‌ರಾಜ್-ಹಲ್ದಿಯಾ ಜಲಮಾರ್ಗ 1 ಅತಿ ಉದ್ದ. ದೊಡ್ಡ ಸಮಸ್ಯೆ ಮಾಲಿನ್ಯ — ಕೊಳಚೆ ನೀರು, ಕೈಗಾರಿಕಾ ತ್ಯಾಜ್ಯ. ಗಂಗಾ 2008ರಲ್ಲಿ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ನದಿ; ನಮಾಮಿ ಗಂಗೆ (2014) ಕೊಳಚೆ ನೀರು ಸಂಸ್ಕರಣ ಘಟಕಗಳನ್ನು ಕಟ್ಟುತ್ತದೆ, ಡಾಲ್ಫಿನ್‌ಗಳನ್ನು ರಕ್ಷಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. (→ English: multipurpose project · हिन्दी: बहुउद्देशीय परियोजना)

In exam EnglishRivers serve many purposes at once, which is why India's big river-valley schemes were planned as multipurpose projects: Bhakra-Nangal on the Satluj, Hirakud on the Mahanadi and the Damodar Valley Corporation each combine irrigation, hydropower, flood control and water supply. Rivers are also transport routes: the National Waterways Act, 2016 declared 111 national waterways, and National Waterway 1, on the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly from Prayagraj to Haldia, is the longest. The heaviest cost of using rivers is pollution from untreated sewage, industrial waste and farm run-off. The Ganga was declared the National River in 2008, and the National Mission for Clean Ganga runs the Namami Gange programme, launched in 2014, which builds sewage treatment plants and also works on river-front cleaning and on protecting the river's wildlife, such as the Gangetic dolphin.

ನಾಲ್ಕು ಭಾಗಗಳೂ ಸೇರಿ ಒಂದೇ ನೀರಿನ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆ: ಹಿಮಾಲಯದ ನದಿಗಳು ಹಿಮ, ಮಳೆಯಿಂದ ವರ್ಷವಿಡೀ, ಪರ್ಯಾಯದ್ವೀಪದ ನದಿಗಳು ಮಳೆಯಿಂದ ಮಾತ್ರ, ಸರೋವರಗಳು ಎರಡು ಕಾಲಗಳ ನಡುವೆ ನೀರನ್ನು ಕಾಪಾಡುವ ಕಪಾಟುಗಳಂತೆ. ಪ್ರಕೃತಿ ನೀರನ್ನು ಜಲಾನಯನ ಪ್ರದೇಶದ ಪ್ರಕಾರ ಹಂಚುತ್ತದೆ, ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಗಡಿಯ ಪ್ರಕಾರ ಅಲ್ಲ; ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಜೋಡಣೆ, ನ್ಯಾಯಮಂಡಳಿಗಳು, ಒಪ್ಪಂದಗಳು. ಮುಂದೆ ಹವಾಮಾನ, ಮಣ್ಣು, ಕೃಷಿ — ಮಾನ್ಸೂನ್ ನದಿಯ ನೀರನ್ನು, ನದಿಗಳು ನೀರಾವರಿಯನ್ನು ನಿರ್ಧರಿಸುತ್ತವೆ. (→ English: drainage basin · हिन्दी: अपवाह द्रोणी)

In exam EnglishTaken together, the four parts of this chapter describe one water system. The Himalayan rivers, fed by snow and rain, flow all year and carry heavy silt; the peninsular rivers, fed by rain alone, swell in the monsoon and shrink in the dry months; and lakes, natural and man-made, hold water between seasons. Because nature divides water by drainage basin and not by state or national boundaries, India needs the plans, laws and treaties described above: interlinking to move water, Article 262 tribunals to settle claims between states, and treaties to share rivers with neighbours. The next chapters, on climate, soils and agriculture, build on this one: the monsoon decides how much water the rivers carry, and the rivers decide where crops can be irrigated.

Exam traps

Recap

Practice questions

Q1. Which one of the following is the largest freshwater lake in India?

  1. Dal
  2. Wular
  3. Loktak
  4. Kolleru
Show answer

Answer: B. Wular

Wular in Kashmir, through which the Jhelum flows, is the largest freshwater lake in India. Dal is a smaller lake in Srinagar; Loktak is the largest freshwater lake of the north-east only; Kolleru is a large freshwater lake in Andhra Pradesh but not the largest in India.

Q2. Consider the following statements:
1. Lonar lake in Maharashtra occupies a crater formed by a meteorite impact in basalt.
2. Sambhar is a freshwater lake in Gujarat.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer

Answer: A. 1 only

Statement 1 is correct. Statement 2 is wrong: Sambhar is an inland salt lake in Rajasthan. So '2 only' and 'Both' are wrong, and 'Neither' rejects the true first statement.

Q3. Match List I (lake) with List II (state):
A. Loktak
B. Kolleru
C. Vembanad
D. Pulicat
1. Kerala
2. Manipur
3. Andhra Pradesh–Tamil Nadu border
4. Andhra Pradesh
Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3
  2. A-2, B-3, C-1, D-4
  3. A-4, B-2, C-3, D-1
  4. A-1, B-4, C-2, D-3
Show answer

Answer: A. A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3

Loktak is in Manipur, Kolleru in Andhra Pradesh, Vembanad in Kerala, and Pulicat on the Andhra Pradesh–Tamil Nadu border. The second code swaps Kolleru and Pulicat; the third mismatches all four; the fourth swaps Loktak and Vembanad.

Q4. Keibul Lamjao, the only floating national park in the world, is located on which lake?

  1. Dal
  2. Chilika
  3. Loktak
  4. Wular
Show answer

Answer: C. Loktak

Keibul Lamjao rests on the phumdis, the floating mats of Loktak lake in Manipur, and is the natural home of the sangai. Dal and Wular are in Kashmir and Chilika is a coastal lagoon in Odisha; none of them has a floating national park.

Q5. Consider the following statements:
1. Under Article 262, Parliament may by law provide that the Supreme Court shall not exercise jurisdiction over a dispute about the waters of an inter-state river.
2. Water, including irrigation and canals, is a subject in the Union List of the Seventh Schedule.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer

Answer: A. 1 only

Statement 1 is correct: Article 262(2) allows this. Statement 2 is wrong: water is Entry 17 of the State List, subject to Entry 56 of the Union List. So '2 only' and 'Both' are wrong, and 'Neither' rejects the true first statement.

Q6. With reference to the Ken-Betwa link project, consider the following statements:
1. The Ken and the Betwa are both tributaries of the Yamuna.
2. Part of the Panna Tiger Reserve will be submerged by the project's reservoir.
3. Both rivers flow mainly through Rajasthan.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer

Answer: A. 1 and 2 only

Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Statement 3 is wrong: both rivers flow through Bundelkhand in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. So every option containing statement 3 is wrong.

Q7. Match List I (agreement) with List II (country):
A. Ganga Water Treaty, 1996
B. Mahakali Treaty, 1996
C. Indus Waters Treaty, 1960
1. Nepal
2. Pakistan
3. Bangladesh
Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. A-3, B-1, C-2
  2. A-1, B-3, C-2
  3. A-3, B-2, C-1
  4. A-2, B-1, C-3
Show answer

Answer: A. A-3, B-1, C-2

The Ganga Water Treaty is with Bangladesh, the Mahakali Treaty with Nepal and the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan. The second code swaps the two 1996 treaties; the third swaps Nepal and Pakistan; the fourth swaps Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Q8. Consider the following pairs:
1. Mahadayi tribunal — Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra
2. Vansadhara tribunal — Odisha and Chhattisgarh
3. Cauvery Water Management Authority — set up in 2018
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 1 and 3 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer

Answer: B. 1 and 3 only

Pairs 1 and 3 are correct. Pair 2 is wrong: the Vansadhara dispute is between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh; Odisha's dispute with Chhattisgarh is over the Mahanadi. So every option containing pair 2 is wrong.

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Sources