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UPSC Prelims 2014 · Environment · Wild Places
Consider the following pairs: Wetlands — Confluence of rivers. Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?
- Harike Wetlands — Beas and Satluj/Sutlej
- Keoladeo Ghana National Park — Banas and Chambal
- Kolleru Lake — Musi and Krishna
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (a) 1 only
Only Harike is on a confluence (Beas–Sutlej).
Statement by statement
1. ✓ CORRECT Harike, in Punjab, is where the Beas meets the Sutlej.
2. ✗ WRONG Keoladeo is fed by the Gambhir and Banganga rivers (and the Ajan bund), not the Banas–Chambal.
3. ✗ WRONG Kolleru lies between the Godavari and Krishna deltas; the Musi joins the Krishna elsewhere (near Nalgonda).
The idea
Only one of these wetlands was made by a meeting of rivers. Harike was formed in 1952 when a barrage was built just below the point where the Beas joins the Sutlej. The other two get their water in different ways.
Harike (Punjab): Beas + Sutlej meet → barrage → wetland → Keoladeo (Rajasthan): a man-made marsh filled from the Gambhir and Banganga → Kolleru (Andhra Pradesh): a natural lake in the low land between the Godavari and Krishna deltas
The trap
Each wrong pair names a real river of the same region.
Elimination technique
In matching questions all pairs are rarely correct in Environment PYQs. So doubt (d) first.
Also know
The Indira Gandhi Canal starts from Harike, and the Indus river dolphin survives in the Beas above it. Keoladeo was created by the rulers of Bharatpur as a duck-shooting ground; it is a World Heritage Site and is on the Montreux Record. Kolleru is one of India’s largest freshwater lakes and has suffered from fish-tank encroachment. All three are Ramsar sites.
🔒 Harike = Beas + Sutlej · Kolleru = between Godavari and Krishna · Keoladeo = Gambhir, Banganga.